


The Overlord with the Shield

by XTarantulaX



Category: Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms, 盾の勇者の成り上がり - アネコユサギ | Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari | The Rising of the Shield Hero - Aneko Yusagi
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:14:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 57,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24422623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XTarantulaX/pseuds/XTarantulaX
Summary: The Whole Nazarick gets teleported to the world of Shield Hero? Or not? What is happening? A story full of mysteries, betrayal, revenge and strange happenings.
Comments: 45
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter-1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction that I started writing around 10 days ago. It is already posted with 7 chapters on ffn if you wanna check it out you can head there.  
> Otherwise it will be updated with a chapter every day until it catches up...  
> I hope you enjoy it.

Ainz Ooal Gown, formerly known as Momonga, the supreme overlord of the Great Tomb Of Nazarick was sitting on the throne of kings with many figures kneeling in front of him not too far away. The people, or more accurately the creatures kneeling were nobody else but the NPCs created by the Ainz and his former comrades and friends. In their eyes Ainz was the literal definition of 'Perfect'. They thought he was their ever so confident and genius master who united and managed the guild made by the 41 Supreme Beings and treated him with utmost loyalty and respect.

Ainz on the other hand was hardly putting an act of a supreme ruler whereas on the inside he was always timid and nervous and always questioned his capability as Nazarick's ruler. Every word he said and every action he took was took to be a part of his plan, even if all he did was act on his impulses. The 3 people in Nazarick whose intellect together could possibly rival the entire New World thought of him to be leagues above them. He cared for them more than anything and was willing to battle even the entire world if it would ensure their safety. He regarded them less as NPCs and more as his own children.

Some time back he had to fight Shalltear Bloodfallen, one of said NPCs and the guardian of the 1st - 3rd floor of Nazarick and ultimately kill her because of the fact that she had been mind controlled by supposedly a world item. Though she was resurrected, the fact that there is someone with a world-class item out there and has caused him pain and problems absolutely terrified the guts out of him as if Shalltear was used to their advantage for getting information about Nazarick it would have put its entirety in danger. He was terrified of this fact, and , furious that someone had dared tried to put their hand on one of his beloved children.

He was already dealing with enough problems and stress as it was but then something, something completely unexpected happened yet again.

**15 Minutes ago**

It hadn't been even a day completely since he had to kill Shalltear. Ainz was laying completely flat on his bed as if a weight has been taken off him but at the same time another one had been dropped like a bomb on his head.

_Aah, i am completely spent. I can't think of anything .Who brainwashed Shalltear? Was it a player, or perhaps someone of this world, or did something entirely else happened?_

As a spiral of questions and emotions whirl within him, he was forced out of his thoughts by a huge earthquake and his consiousness fading out for not even a complete moment that he couldn't even notice as he was too deep in thought.

He jumped out of his bed wanting to know what could have caused this almost impossible event. He received a message from Albedo as soon as he reached the door.

"Ainz-sama! Are you alright?"

"Yes Albedo I am fine but more importantly what happened just now?"

_How is this possible? This should not be happening within Nazarick, that too at this scale._

Without waiting for Albedo to reply he continued ,"Albedo call an emergeny meeting of all the floor guardians in the throne room immediately."

He was about to cut off the message but

" Ainz-sama, forgive my inpudence but there is one matter that I would like to report before. Please allow me to do so."

Ainz was already in panic mode and didn't pay much attention to thoughtfullness. In his mind he was already thinking of things that could possibly cause this and if they are a threat.

"What could it at a time like this? Go ahead."

"Yes. All the denizens of Nazarick including Sebas and Solution that were out on missions have been transported to Nazarick at the same time. And as you may know already, none of them possessed the ring of Ainz Ooal Gown that is required for teleportation within Nazarick. Most of them don't even possess the skills or magic for teleportation generally."

"HUH!"


	2. Chapter-2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter-2... Hope you enjoy it
> 
> *Please note the following paragraph may possibly contain spoilers for Overlord Light Novel
> 
> One thing I would like to explain is that as the 4 cardinal heroes had the so-called legendary weapons, so i had compared the power (Only power as in item ranks, not their power levels) of them to world items( like World Breaker). As you may read forward, The Shield required permission to become active, so I have compared it to the working of "The Depiction Of Nature And Society" that was shown in Volume-10(or 11).
> 
> If you have any queries, I would gladly elaborate...

"HUH!"

Ainz was wondering what was happening. At those words his non-existent stomach curled up and he bagan running speculations of possiblities that could have happened but the longer he thought about it, the more confusing it got. He chose to borrow the wisdom of Demiurge, the floor guardianof the 7th floor on this matter.

"Ainz-sama, Is something the matter?"

He was so shaken by the fact that it showed on the outside and even the maid assigned for today's duty wondered if something was wrong and was acting nervously.

He immediately straightened himself up and replied in a manner befitting the ruler of Nazarick ,"No, nothing is the matter."

He answered quickly after getting himself in order. The maid seemed perplexed for a moment but then immediately bowed and backed down respecting her lord's wishes.

By the moment Ainz became more and more nervous. An emotion so intense that he hadn't felt since he was transported to the New World. It seemed his emotional supression kicked in calming him down. He was thankful for that.

Just as that he remembered that he is yet to answer Albedo.

"Albedo. We will discuss this matter in the throne room. I am sure everyone is just as confused. Call every floor guadian to the throne room."

"Yes"

WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING? How is this possible? Nobody I had encountered in the New World was even able to use gate. Even in YGGDRASIL, it was impossible to teleport within Nazarick without the ring, that too from so far away. Even with the ring they needed to be near the entrance of the tomb. Was Sebas near Nazarick? But in that case he would have been informed by either Albedo or Demiurge. And what was with the earthquake just no...

"Huh" , Ainz said weakly. This was because he felt his conciousness fall for a moment. the red lights on his eye sockets flickered as he stumbled a step but did not fall as it was just for a moment. He got confused again but decided against prying further for the moment.

He informed the maid of his departure as he teleported to the front of the throne room without waiting for a reply. He slightly touched the door and the door opened all the way on its own. Normally it would be his maid or someone else doing so but he didn't care at the moment.

As he entered the exquisite room he saw all the floor guardians in there. Sebas and the pleades including Solution was present too. The floor guardians, son spotting him, without wasting a moment went on their knees to show their respect to him. He walked past them as this had become quite normal. He sat on the throne and on his cue all the guardians stood up.

PRESENT

"So what was that before?", Ainz asked calmly even though he was panicking inside.

"Ainz-sama, it seems that an unknown phenomenon had occured that had caused an earthquake to happen. We are certain that we had received no notification of an attack on Nazarick, but as the Nazarick denizens were able to be teleported directly into The Great Tomb without anyone noticing beforehand, it would seem we had left holes in our defence. We ask that you forgive our incompetence and plead that you punish us." said Albedo going down on one knee again. the other guadians followed suit.

"Raise your heads, I told you before too that not everything is your fault. Even I make mistakes and miscalculations at times. So don't berate yourself."

At those words the guardians raised there heads and it seemed they were about to deny his claims about him making mistakes but stopped and thanked him for his never-ending generosity as it wasn't the time for that.

At around the same time, it seemed that Albedo received a message. As she listened to the message everyone stayed silent clearly waiting for her to finish. After she received the message she seemed completely shocked and hastily reported;

"Ainz-sama Nigredo just reported that the surroundings outside Nazarick has changed."

"NANI?!"

"Yes, it seems that forest we were previously in is no longer present and it is replaced by another unknown forest that isn't yet known to us."

His mind went blank and he immediately answered instinctively ,"All the floor guardians are to return to their positions immmediately and raise Nazarick's defence to the maximum. This matter will be discussed later on. Also turn on the environment settings of the 4th, 5th and 7th floor."

"YES"

"Before that, has anyone else been having problems related to their status since the happening of the earthquake."

"No Ainz-sama, thank you for your worry but nothing is wrong at the moment."

I see, so was it just me? I should check my status, but first..

"Demiurge, Sebas and Solution stay here but return immediately in the case that an enemy is able to breach the fourth floor, in that case I too will go to the 8th floor to inform the guardians there of the circumstances."

I should hold them back to get more information about what's happening and how they were teleported here.

then he turned to Albedo ,"Call Pandora's Actor here...No, we ourselves will head to the treasury. In the case that someone is truly able to teleport within Nazarick, then that would be the safest option."

"Yes, Ainz-sama"

As he got their responses he gave each of them excluding Albedo the ring of Ainz Ooal Gown so that they could teleport to the treasury. they all went on their knees and thanked him with trembling voices. It was clear that they were trembling with not fear but excitement of receiving the honor of wearing the ring that was the symbol of their master's complete trust in them. The reaction seemed oddly similar to when Albedo received her ring though he thought the reason for their excitement and happiness may be different.

They all teleported to the treasury with Albedo's guidance and Ainz warned them about the traps in there especially the deadly poison that could kill many within mere seconds if they didn't have resistance or proper equipment to protect them from it.

As they entered the mausoleum like structure, Ainz and the others saw Pandora's Actor standing there completely on guard. Apparently he hadn't already transformed into one of the 41 settings embedded in him as he would transform into someone depending on the opponent's race and weakness. Upon noticing Ainz Pandora's Actor went on one knee and greeted him,

"Welcome, my creater."

After Ainz acknowledged this he went on attention and gave a crisp salute that seemed almost comical. Ainz was drowning in embarassment but decided against his better judgement to ignore this.

This was the first time for Demiurge and the others with the exception of Albedo meeting Pandora so he indroduced them.

" He is Pandora's Actor, he guards the treasury."

Demiurge and the like innstantly started to get a read on him. To them he and his actions might have seemed almost cringy and annoying but not to Demiurge. In one glance he had made his observations and already started to acknowledge the supreme inntelligence of his master, the ruler of the the Tomb Of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Sasuga Ainz-sama. Creating Pandora's Actor in such a way that he would annoy his opponents into possibly getting angry and taking a wrong step, that could turn the tide of the battle. Aaah truly, He is the the most cunning and ingenious master. Truly, he amazes me.

Albedo too, would have noticed this if she were not annoyed and bothered by the way Pandora's Actor treated her all ladylike.

After the certain events, they all sat down and were about to start discussing the possiblities of the happenings that had occured but then suddenly for a moment the lights in Ainz's eye sockets flickered yet again as his consciousness slipped away and he his head suddenly went down and bumped the table as if a very abnormal nod went the wrong way. his consciousness immediately returned and he sat up straight but the guardians did not let this pass.

Not even before had his head touched the table in the front all the guardians along with Sebas and Solution flocked him in worry of something happening to their master. They could not do sommething as touching their master without permission when the cause of the event was unknown. Albedo naturally could not stand having her beloved be like this for even a moment and was just about to hold him up, but Ainz immediately got his back straight.

"Ainz-sama, Are you alright? What happened?", they all enquired in unison Sebas seemed to have lost his composure and was visibly worried.

Meanwhile in Ainz's mind,

Huh, it happened again. What the hell, I thought it was just my imagination. What in the hell! How is this happening, aren't undead supposed to be immune to mind effects like this. Hah, is this because of the earthquake and the teleportaion earlier? Has someone infilterated Nazarick? What could be the cause of this? The only reason this could happen to an undead like is...A World- Class that couldn't be, the whole of Nazarick is under the protection of the Throne of Kings. I myself am protected by one personally so that shouldn't be possible. But what could possibly cause this.

As Ainz was thinking of possible scenerios his emotional supression kicked in and saved him from panicking anymore but he was suspicious that the guardians have already read his body language.

"This happened once before right after the earthquake. This normally shouldn't be possible given that I am a undead; but it could be possible given the occurence of recent events!" Ainz exclaimed calm as a lake on the surface while his inner emotions were like a raging tornado.

Everyone present in the room got worried and terrified looks pasted on their faces.

"Ainz-sama that is...!" Albedo exclaimed in almost a sceam but immediately corrected her way of speaking thinking it would be disrespectful.

"Ainz-sama that is not normal.I dare say, please, I beg you please immediately check your status and if everything is not alright, give us the order, that we could deal with it in your stead even if it costs our lives."

If one paid attention they could clearly see that she was working hard to keep her composure in front of the others while her voice was trembling with fear and maybe negligence even. This vaguely reminded Ainz of the time when he had a talk with Albedo in the treasury just before his battle with Shalltear.

The others in the treasury too agreed with what she said and were visibly wanting to take any action that could possibly help him.

No matter how many times I am in doubt I am always reminded how much they care for me.

"Thank you, Albedo. Thank you everyone but in this case you couldn't have done anything as not even i was able to notice something happening. If the need arises I would gladly call for your help. As for now I guess i should check my status."

"We are grateful."

As Ainz reminisced remembering his past friends in the NPCs created by them , he checked his status.

As he started checking his stats from the point where his level was shown to his skills and then finally the status to see if he was under any effects but he saw that he was under no effect what-so-ever.

"Eh? What's that? There was nothing like that before."

What he saw was something that under normal circumstances would have gone completely unnoticed. There was a small icon blinking in red and green periodically. He showed that icon to Albedo and the like but none of them had seen that before.

He was reluctant to but he clicked on the icon anyways without wondering much about it. He did so before the NPCs could have the time to raise any objection and by the time they spoke, the deed had already been done. Even Ainz himself was shocked that he had done so without any insurance.

On clicking the icon he saw something that of all things he would have never thought he would see in his status that too in an unknown format.

what was displayed was a semi-transparent display with the words "Lvl.0-The Shield Hero" written on top in a mixture of pure and black with the depiction of a Shield beside it. below it was written some other stuff but it was unreadable. It seemed to be in Japanese so he should normally have been able to read it but he just couldn't. He wasn't able to specify the reason for that either.

The Shield Hero? True, there were job classes for Hero in Yggdrasil but there was nothing that connected Hero with equipment. And why is this here along with my stats. And..

One thing that seemed even more out of the ordinary was the text written in air next to "The Shield Hero" that was written in pure and radiant bright red as if it was supposed to specifically draw people's attention. It read the words in bold and it seemed as if it was a button.

"LEVEL RAISE BLOCKED- LEVEL CAP REACHED- PERMISSION REQUIRED TO FORCEFULLY EXTEND LEVELS"

Extend levels? Does this mean my levels will increase? But that can't be possible. In YGGDRASIL it was completely impossible to raise one's level over the cap. Wait, wait, wait, this is not a game anymore. But still the New World has so many similarities with it, that seems almost impossible.

As he was thinking that there was an eerie silence in the room nobody in the room even dared interrupt the thoughts of their master. Still there was a mood of impatience in the room but that was completely understandable.

The Overlord was completely lost within his thoughts and so was everyone else.

What should I do? Should I ask the others for advice.? What will happen if i give it permission? Will my level raise? Oh man, there is not enough information. Aah, this is beyond me. What do i do? I have both a good and a bad feeling about this? Well its not like we have a choice, this is the only lead currently possible. Well I need to be careful anyways. Should i do that? but!? Ah, that is the only thing i could do. But what if something happens? Ah dammit...

The decision was made.

All right i am gonna do it.

As he thought that the text on the button changed to bright green and the text too bacame ,"Access Granted".

He was surprised and shocked, of course, that goes without saying but not only at the fact that permission was granted without him pushing the button but also that he felt a little power welling up inside him and that his vision blacked out yet again. this time his consciousness was active the whole time that was around 3 seconds.

As his vision came back, he saw an unfamiliar room with a certain robed man with his back towards him. He quickly cast 'Perfect Unknowable" and starting wearing his mask and gloves, he saw that he had a unknown shield-like equipment on his right hand.

Back in the Nazarick's treasury chaos was filled to the brim.

Little did everyone knew that the charade was just starting...mysteries and surprises that were about to unfold in the near future would be even more shocking.

Devastating too, perhaps, but not for Nazarick...

A Certain Time Before the Occurring Of The Strange phenomenons Occurring In Nazarick, At A Certain Place Somewhere-

In a room were a few robed people standing staring at three people standing in front of them on some kind of Magic circle. They stood there in silence for a while before the silence was broken by one of the robed men. he spoke in a hoarse voice that seemed to be quite surprised.

"Hmm? Where is the Shield hero? Did the summoning of all the heroes failed? But during the ritual it seemed to quite successful."

"It is said that everything happens for a reason it seems quite fortunate for us that the Shield Hero was not summoned. There will be less problems for us and the kingdom.", This was said by the same man under his breath so low that no one could hear it.

The three men in front of them each had a weapon with them.

One of them had a sword that in a way resembled Japanese sword, while the other had a bow hanging on his shoulder, and the last one had a glamorous spear with him.

"So, are you guys going to tell us where we are?", the guy with the sword called out to one of the robed men.

"Oh! Honorable Heroes! Please, save our world!"

"...Huh?"

They all replied in unison


	3. Chapter-3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was writing this chapter I realized that the story I had in mind would have been a bit long, like too long, like you could write three light novels. So, I had to cut down on the content and ultimately limit the number of waves to just three. Of course this implies that the waves would be much stronger.
> 
> Also, writing the interaction between the king and Myne with Ainz was a tricky one but I tried my best. There will be Ainz pov in next chapter so this one might feel a bit rushed
> 
> Hope you enjoy it...

As Ainz was trying to put on a mask and gloves in a hurry so that the person in front wouldn't see him. He had done so because there were a number of ways Perfect Unknowable could be breached and the ability of the man was unknown to him. Also, with the recent events he was being more paranoid than usual.

He immediately got out of the shock and started opening a gate with his right bony hand hiding in his cloak but remembered that Nigredo had informed Nazarick's location may have changed and the current location was unknown. He completely trusted her report and thought that if this was the work of an enemy there may be an ambush lying in wait at that location if his actions were predicted.

He hurriedly tried to remove the shield from his hand but as he did the thrown shield thrown would disappear and re-appear on his hand. He was seemingly running out of time thinking that his cover may get blown. He tried to repositioning the shield to his upper arm and this fortunately worked. He immediately put on the remaining glove. He repositioned the shield just above his glove so that his complete arm wasn't seen and tried to grab the attention of the person in the room after cancelling the cast. The person didn't even doubt once that there was someone else in the room.

"Ahemm!"

The person turned around in a furry to notice Ainz standing there. He was visibly very shocked seeing a very broad and tall person in the room with a strange mask. he might not have been able to notice but Ainz was completely on guard ready to cast any spell required in order of an emergency.

The person was visibly scared seeing such a person and fell back on his butt. He nervously ran his eyes throughout the bold figure of Ainz and as he saw the shield on his right arm, all the fear in his eyes ran out and was exchanged with relief and disappointment. He immediately stood up, clearly not completely recovered from the earlier shock.

"Ehhh, Please wait here for a moment while I get my superior."

The person turned around and started mildly running without any manners.

What is with him? And what is with these strange occurrings? In a bit, even my undead emotional suppression may start getting tired."

As he remained alone in the room, he immediately casted Anti-divination spells and when everything seemed safe he got to work.

He summoned 4 hanzos and 4 eight-edge assassins for his protection and information gathering. Both of these monsters were skilled in stealth.

He didn't want to summon these as they were YGGDRASIL summons and he would eventually not be able to summon any more of them one day. Another reason was that they used up YGGRASIL gold for summoning and as that was currently in a limited amount on himself and Nazarick itself. But these would have been the perfect summons for now, so he used his inventory gold to do so.

After giving the hanzos the order of searching the surroundings for all the information they could gather and report at midnight while the eight-edge assassins were to guard him from the shadows, he messaged Albedo and luckily enough it went through.

"Albedo!"

"Ainz-sama are you alright? What happened, where are you? Are you in any danger?"

"Calm down Albedo, I am fine. It appears I have been transported to another location. As the current location of Nazarick is unknown, you focus on guarding Nazarick. I already have some hanzos searching for potential threats, information and the location of Nazarick while I am being guarded by a number of Eight-edge assassins. As soon as the location is confirmed I will return to Nazarick. Also be sure to inform the others of my safety."

"But Ainz-sama, how could we leave you in such a place."

"Don't fret it Albedo. You may use some of the already summoned stealth type monsters for a search. Don't leave Nazarick at any cost."

"B-Bu-Understood, Ainz-sama."

He thought Albedo for sure would be drooping over at Nazarick over her inability to take action.

For now Ainz thought it would be better to disguise himsself in his armor."Create Create" He stopped midway thinking what is it about this shield. It was clearly an unknown equipment that he wasn't sure would be to his advantage or the opposite. He was clearly a bit stunned at the fact that he was not able to remove or unequip the item.

""Greater Appraise Item", huh, unidentified? and the power is clearly more than a divine-class item. not quite at the level of WCI. How could this be? Oh yeah what was that Shield Hero stats and all"

He was clearly shocked at this kind of equipment that he had never heard and he would be lying if he said he wasn't happy at least a bit for it at the possession of such an item. But at the same time he was confused too.

He was feeling a lot of things until his emotion suppression came and he was just left there wondering for a moment.

He decided to check his unknown kind-of stats after he cast "Greater Create Item" and a full-black armor with golden stripes and a red cape along with 2 great-swords. He was using the skill "Perfect-Warrior" that lets him use any equipment with his stats reduced. To his surprise again, the shield just disappeared for a moment and then reappeared on his armor the same place as before.

As he was about to check his stats, he sensed a few men coming closer. He made sure everything was in order and became ready to recieve them. He was still on guard with both of his swords in his hand. As he predicted a few men, robed just like the man before. They all appeared to be surprised and that was again normal given the build and expensive looking armor of his. They all worked hard to preserve their dignity and the man in center said in a hoarse yet kind voice,

"Oh, Shield Hero, it seems as if your summoning was delayed and we truly apologize for that. And for the next matter, Please, save the World along with the other 3 cardinal heroes."

The man blurted out in an almost forced manner and bowed along with the others. But the Shield Hero had already stopped listening to those words after

"What do you mean by summoning?"

"As we speak our World is teetering on the edge of destruction. The legend says that during that time the 4 cardinal along with the 4 legendary weapons will be summoned here from their worlds to save us from extinction."

Ainz was, emotionless. The people in the robes should be thankful that they were saved by his suppression of emotions. If not for that all of them would have probably been captured and tortured for eternity. Death would have been too easy an punishment for them. They who have disrupted the peace of Nazarick and quite possibly placed its denizens in danger. But after his head cooled down, he decided that he needed information and following the facade of a hero could be beneficial.

But still what kind of a weapon is a shield.

He was led to the throne room to meet the king he too he had kept all the questions for the king.

Upon reaching the throne room he saw an old man sitting on the throne with an uninterested yet appraising gaze. He saw many people sitting on the sidelines and many people in front some distance from the throne within 3 uneven lines. In front of each line stood one young man. Each of the 3 held one weapon each namely the sword, the bow and arrow and the spear. He immediately recognized from the tales told by the robed people that they were the other 3 cardinal heroes Their weapons seemed fit for them whereas for him it seemed like a very small shield had been placed on his arm and it looked very unproportionate.

Almost everyone was again surprised for the same reason the others were. He ignored the gazes and walked to the side of the Spear Hero.

"My name is Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, and I rule these lands. Raise you head, Shield hero.", Then he turned towards the other heroes and said.

"Heroes, please be so kind as to tell him your names."

"My name is Ren Amaki. I am 16 years old, and a high school student." He gave off a cool impression.

"All right, I'll go next. My name is Motoyasu Kitamura. I'm 21, and a college student." He came off as light-hearted and kind,

"Ok, my turn. I'm Itsuki Kawasumi. I'm 17, and still in high school." He gave off the vibe of a calm person.

Despite having different personalities all of them had one thing in common. They all were extremely cocky and overconfident.

"My name is"

They all seem to have Japanese names. Are they from my old world. If so I need to know more about them. Oh man, what's with this cliche 'isekai to save a world' situation. Should I also give my old name. What if there are other players from YGGRASIL here. But I just have a feeling that its not the case.

'"Momon", it was indeed an odd name.

He chose to ignore the king's previous words and spoke in a deep voice befitting his seeming build.

"Why was I summoned?"

"I guess an explanation is pending."

The king along with the ministers then explained to him everything about the situation.

According to them there was a prophecy that stated that three waves of destruction would appear, and they would wash over the world, until nothing remained. Unless the waves were repelled the world was as good as doomed. The prophecy was from long ago, though the time it spoke of was now, this very moment. There was also a large and ancient hourglass that would signal the times. The hourglass predicted the arrival of the waves, and its sands began to fall a few days ago. According to legend, the waves would come in one-month intervals with the first one occurring 3 months after the first falling of the sands.

He kept extremely quiet listening and hanging to their every word and ignoring the exasperated and tired glances. After they had finished, he spoke a single line that disregarded everything that was explained.

"Why was 'I' summoned?"

Surprisingly enough it was the guy with the spear that responded to his question.

"Come on man. This world is in danger. You could at least do something to help . These people even said that they are planning on compensating you all for your efforts."

"I don't remember asking you so it would be in your best intrest to stay quiet. And what good would rewards and compensation do you dead. Also I have no care for rewards. "

Clear rejection. His face turned into a frown upon hearing the words. Ainz was so composed it shocked even him. Guess when the matter was of the security of Nazarick and its residents he always was dead serious.

"Truly despicable behavior. You have been summoned to this world for protecting it. And you better do the same."

"And who are you to decide what i do and i do not. You have summoned me without my permission, now i guess you should tell me how do I return back to my home."

"You cannot return until you fend off all the waves. So it would be better if you keep yourself under control. Also you are in front of a king, so you better mind your manners." A minister from behind the king spouted. He reminded him of Nigun Grid, the person he killed in Carne village. Both seemed to be experts at spouting bullshit.

" Okay. I understand. Tell me how do I return to my World." Ainz said without moving an inch.

Throughout the conversation he wasn't able to get much information about this world but he was pretty easily able to find out that The King and many other people and ministers in there hated him, even before he arrived. Because the way they were talking was obviously not the way one would take with the saviors of the world. Although everything about this seemed pretty false, he still decided to go with the flow. He was a tactician to the bone.

"To return to your former world, you would have to fend off al the waves successfully and save this world."

If I let this world get destroyed, Nazarick will perish too, so that's out of the way. What if they are lying in saying that I could return to my world. What really matters is Nazarick's safety even if we have to stay here... Then again, what connections did I have with that world. But the people who brainwashed Shalltear are still left unpunished. well I can't do anything except coping up with them for now anyway.

The king continued

"As all the other heroes already know you all are level 1 and we would like you to go on a journey to strengthen yourself and your weapons.", The king said while scoffing.

"The parties for the heroes were formed yesterday but because your summoning was delayed there are no high-class adventurers left. As you can see all the parties have been formed." the king said pointing towards the three other heroes along with their parties. He had a faint smirk on his face while saying that, but the answer that he got wasn't something he expected.

"No need for that, I just need someone to give me information about this world. It won't even take one whole day."

"Does the Shield Hero not know about this world?"

"Is that a problem?" Do they expect me to know everything before even coming to this world. Are they right in the head!

"The legends say that the four summoned Heroes will have an understanding of our land. I wonder if you will truly be able to fulfill the conditions set out in the legends."

HUH

"Let me make one thing clear, I do not care about your legends or prophecies. All i care about is my and... Anyways as I said I would still be requiring information and are you denying even that."

That was dangerous, I almost blurted out Nazarick. After I told everyone back there earlier to not even reveal their names.

He shot a look towards Ren, Itsuki and Motoyasu. They all turned their heads away.

Everybody stood in silence for at least a minute until a girl from the Spear hero's line raised her hand.

"Sir, if it please you, I could provide information to the Shield Hero." One of the women with Motoyasu raised her hand to volunteer while talking to the king.

She was cute, and had shoulder-length red hair. He would have considered her a beauty if he didn't know Albedo, Shalltear or any of the pleiades or the homunculus maids. In fact, she would pale in comparison to almost anyone with a human appearance in Nazarick.

The Spear Hero himself was quite disappointed an this progression. It seemed to Ainz that he was quite the womanizer.

"Are you sure?", The king seemed unexpectedly worried

"Yes"

"Very well. As there is nobody in the Shield Hero's party, he would have to scout out allies by himself. As compensation he would receive 800 silver coins whereas the other heroes will get the earlier decided 600 coins."

As Ainz turned around, the king's voice called out"Ah, before that, show me your face."

Ainz didn't mind as any normal person would do that. Ainz turned around slowly as if in slow-motion. He then casted illusion magic to hide his skeleton face. He took off his helmet to show everyone present an illusionary human face. He immediately put his helmet back and continued without saying a word. He could hear quite a few whispers behind him.

He heard the voice of jogging footsteps of the girl who was to provide him with information.

Outside the throne room, the girl approached him.

"Um, so it's nice to meet you, Mr. Shield Hero. My name is Myne Sophia.", the girl moved really close while saying this. If Albedo was here, she would surely not be standing there. Or more accurately won't be able to.

"Yeah, nice to meet you. Then shall we get going. Ah before that"

Ainz almost forgot to address the other heroes. The fact that they too were summoned from another world and their names seemed Japanese piqued his intrest. He wondered if they were from his world.

"Ren-dono, Itsuki-dono, Motoyasu-dono, may I have a word.", Ainz said the most respectfully he could.

"Hmm. Go ahead." Ren replied

"Are you three from Japan."

"Yes, we are all from Japan but not the same one. Its like we are from different versions of Japan."

"Hmm so even different versions of Japan exist" So they weren't YGGDRASIL players after all.

"Yeah but are you too from Japan, your name and armor seems a bit, you know"

"Yes, I am from Japan and I was an adventurer there."

"There were adventurers in your world! Wow!", The guy with the spear asked in glimmering excitement.

"Yes, I was just a begginer though."

With some more idle chat the talk ended and Ainz turned to Myne and urged her to continue.

She nodded as Ainz followed her out of the castle.

From the edge of the bridge leading to the exit, the whole castle town was visible. The town somehow resembled a downgraded version of E-Rantel yet on a bigger scale.

They had talked what they wanted to do, and had decided that they would visit various places at day then have a talk about this world during their meal at night.

Myne's POV

They had been walking away from the castle for a fair amount of time. They stopped before a shop. There was a large sign in the shape of a sword hanging over the wooden door.

"This is the shop I was talking about."

"I see, it certainly seems to be the largest one around here."

They had arrived in front of a quite known 'Weapon shop'.though they also had armor and other accessories necessary for adventuring.

Hehe, it's all going according to plan. Even the Three Heroes Church is backing me up. Now all I've gotta do is make sure the rest of the plan goes well.

When she had received the news yesterday that the summoning for the Shield Hero had failed, she was quite disappointed to say the least. She was worried that she would lose the backing of the church and that would quite hinder her advances for getting the throne.

But then she got to know that the Shield Hero had indeed been summoned but had arrived late. She immediately met the representative of the church in order of the continuation of the previously discussed plan. She was quite thankful to the 'devil of the shield' for becoming a stepping stone for her in obtaining the designation of queen.

"Shall we head inside?", her voice was kind unlike what she was thinking.

"Yes"

"Welcome," the owner called out to us. "Is this your first time here?"

"My companion here informed me of this store here", the Momon guy said.

Ugh, even being called a companion by him feels disgusting.

Myne waved her hand as he said that.

"Why, thank you very much… Miss… Hey, haven't we met somewhere?"

"I have been here before. After all this is quite a known shop."

"I, see. Anyways who might you be?"

"He is the Shield Hero." I replied in his stead.

"You mean… he's one of the… the Heroes? Wow!" The man began looking over Momon carefully. He continued

"Well anyways, if you are ever in a need of equipment, you are always welcome."

"I am the Shield Hero, Momon. Lets hope for good business relations." Momon stated in a confident way.

"Mr. Momon was it… Well then, here's to hoping you become a regular of sorts around here. Though right now you don't seem to be in requirement of new equipment."

Now that he mentions it, this Momon does have some quality equipment. It seems expensive. Should I target that too. But justifying for it would be different. Well, I will think about it later.

"We should get going"

After that, they exited the castle town, through the castle. As they exited the castle fields of grass spread in all directions. It extended for at least the area of the town before.

"Now then, Hero. This land is filled with rather weak monsters, and

battling them should make for very good practice."

" I see. It is true that we should start with the weakest monsters. I too would like to grasp an idea of their capabilities."

After travelling through the field for while, an orange balloon like creature hopped out of the shadows of grass.

"There's one hero. They are called 'Orange balloons.'"

As Myne said that the monster hopped at Momon attempting to bite a part of his head off. He could the monster mid-air, and then ripped it in two with both his hands.

Huh! Did he just rip it in half, with his hands. True, they are the weakest but still he should not have this kind of muscle strength at level-1. Ah! He did say he was an adventurer before being summoned. But still.

"These monsters are weak just as you say."

"Aa, ah yes these are the weakest out there."

The jewel in the Shield Hero's shield started glowing and make a beeping sound. Momon moved the loot to near the jewel and the balloon remains got enveloped in a faint light. It then disappeared as if consumed by the jewel.

Momon seemed surprised but not for all.

"It seems this is how the legendary weapons work." Myne asked with a little curiosity welling up.

"Yes, it seems to power up, certain items are absorbed. By the way do these remnants of the balloon monster worth anything."

"Mhmm, maybe a piece of bronze. That would be a hundredth of a piece of silver."

"I see"

They stayed in the fields until sunset. In addition to Orange Balloons they also discovered a few yellow ones.

They headed to a famous inn. It cost 30 bronze for one room per night.

"We would like two rooms."

Stole the words out of my mouth, hehe.

"Very well then, if you will."

The innkeeper showed us to our rooms, wringing her hands the whole time. They decided to

have some rest then meet up for dinner in 30 minutes.

After half an hour, they met up for dinner. Momon respectfully declined the offer for dinner saying he wasn't hungry.

They exchanged information for some time and after Momon had sufficient knowledge he thanked her and started back to his room.

As he was about to leave, Myne put her hand around his arm, intentionally pressing her breasts on him. He didn't even flinch as he calmly stated,

"Would you please leave my arm. You are too close."

Cheh, why isn't he flattered even if a bit. Does he have no sex drive? Is he gay?

"Uhh, why don't you stay for a bit and drink some wine?"

"No, thank you but alcohol is not to my liking."

Who does he think he is, huh!"

"Is that so? You could just have one glass?"

"No, thank you."

"But.."

"No"

Cheh ,"Oh, all right then."

With that he left for his room.

After 4 hours

It was around 3 am. Myne got out of her room without making a single noise.

She went to the front of a room and tried opening it.

"Its locked. Well that's expected." She took a key out of her pocket and inserted it into the keyhole. The key fit nicely and turnedas if specially made for that keyhole. She slid open the door slowly.

"Huh, there's no one in here."

She started searching the room regardless. She checked all the cupboards, the drawers, the bed and even under it.

"Shit, I had expected him to take the armor with him if he wasn't present. But there's not even a piece of bronze left. Shit, shit, shit"

The room she had come in to was none other than the Shield Hero's room. She had expected to rob him of his money and armor and then falsely

Well even if its like this I will have to continue the plan. I can't afford losing their backing now.

She continued making preparations for what was to come the following day.

She removed pieces of her armor, tearing up clothes at places and removing her underwear and scattered them around the room.

She then carefully walked out of the room, locked it again and ran towards the another room.

As she approached the room she began beating the door of the room as if in a hurry. A person came out of the room half-sleepily yet quickly.

Myne leapt into the chest of the person crying fake tears.

"Motoyasu-sama, help me, sob-huff, the Shield hero is, the Shield Hero is, huff, is trying to rape me."

The Morning

Myne was waiting in the throne room in a new set of clothes. The Sword, Bow and Spear hero along with their whole parties were present. Myne waas hiding behind the Spear hero visibly shaking.

The king and his retainers had grave expressions on their faces.

Then the door to the throne room was shot open. The Shield 'hero', Momon was walking in with six soldiers and his tail. The soldiers seemed to be scared of something but that was ignored by everyone.

" ! Might I ask what is happening?"

Hahahahaha, Oh i wanna laugh out so bad.

Myne cowered behind Motoyasu, the Spear Hero and glared angrily at Momon. Everyone was glaring at The Shield Hero like someone would look at a criminal.

"You mean you really don't remember?"

Motoyasu stepped forward and interrogated him.

"What do you mean by don't remember?"

"You are such a scoundrel. I can't believe you would do something like that."

"Something like what? Please make things more clear."

Hahaha, he is completely clueless.

"We will now hear the charges against the Shield Hero."

"Charges? And what would they be?"

"Sob… sob… The Shield Hero drank too much, and he came bursting

into my room. Then he… He forcefully took me to his room and held me down, and…"

"What?"

"He held me down and said, 'The night is still young, Baby.' Then he

started to rip my clothes off…"

Myne was sniveling behind Motoyasu, and she pointed a shaky finger in

Momon's direction as she spoke. "I screamed as loud as I could and ran from the

room. That's when I found Motoyasu-sama's room, and he saved me."

"Those charges you speak of would be false. Yesterday night, I wasn't available in my room as I had gone out to gain some experience and raise levels."

"Liar! If that was true, would Myne be crying like that."

Heh, heh, men are fools. They are so easy to fool…

Then unexpectedly, the shield hero burst into laughter.

"Hahahahahahaha, cheh", and then suddenly stopped and made a disappointed voice.

"Your highness, it seems that I am being accused of false charges. So I think justice should be properly given."

"Silence, Scoundrel. Any act of sexual aggression committed against the people of my kingdom would be punished immediately by death. It doesn't matter if you are a hero or a barbarian. I had an inkling the first time I saw you. I don't know where you lived or come from but we don't do things that way here."

The king shouted ignoring his previous words. The other heroes and their parties were looking at him with disgust. Even more so, the spear hero could not control his anger.

"It was clear that you were different from us, but still I didn't think you would stoop this low, you wrench."

Motoyasu lost it and took a stance with his spear. On this cue the six soldiers behind the Shield hero hesitantly reached towards their weapons too.

Everyone in the room felt a chill run down their spine.

"Stop!" said the firm voice of the Shield Hero.

Upon hearing that the king retained his composure and started shouting again.

"This crime of yours could not be forgiven. Your punishment will not stop. As you are the only line of defense against the waves you would not be given death but you will still be branded as a criminal.."

Unbeknownst to them, the word said by Momon was not intended for them.


	4. Chapter-4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here it is. The next chapter. The story deviates quite a lot from the main storyline in this.
> 
> Its pandora-boii
> 
> As for Pandora's Actor monologue. It was inspired a bit from the latest translations of the novel.

**Ainz's POV**

Huh. Doesn't all the equipment present here seem like too weak. Their power barely manages to reach that of legacy-class items.

Ainz was currently in the "best" weapon shop in the castle-town with Myne.

"I am the Shield Hero, Momon. Lets hope for good business relations."

"Mr. Momon was it… Well then, here's to hoping you become a regular of sorts around here. Though right now you don't seem to be in requirement of new equipment."

Well, he is right. My armor and swords are already better than all the equipment present here. I probably won't be coming here too much. Still I think I will come here once maybe to compare these items to those of YGGDRASIL. By the way, this owner of this shop seems a amicable guy.

"We should get going."

After that, they went to the fields of grass outside the town and encountered a Orange Balloon.

Ainz ripped it in two just with his magic-caster strength.

Weak...I thought I would have to at least use my swords

As he held the remnants of the monster his Shield or more accurately, the jewel in his shield began making a beeping sound. He had kind of vision or more probably hunch and he moved it near the jewel on the shield. The remains got enveloped in a faint light and got absorbed into his shield.

' Orange Balloon acquired '

The words flashed before Ainz and he suddenly had the urge to check his 'Shield Hero' stats. He quickly resisted his urge to do so as he obviously didn't want to reveal any of his stats and skills.

But that wasn't the only reason as since he had arrived here he had seen little words above the heads of others that revealed their levels to him. A handy ability it may be, but still there was a chance that others too, especially the other heroes had it. As they had beleived his earlier bluff that he was a beginner adventurer, he had thought that this ability showed only his Shield hero levels. This idea was further strengthened by the fact that he was unable to see the levels of the Hanzos and the Eight-Edge Assassins that were hiding in his shadows.

The other reason he didn't view his stats immediately was that he knew no other way to see them than to go through his YGGDRASIL stats first.

After meeting a few other monsters of the same species.

I knew it. I definitely had a hunch about this. Its like the New World all over. Although I should be happy, but still at least be of some challenge. Well, she did say that they were the weakest.

Ainz reminisced over his old days spent in YGGDRASIL with his so precious friends and the a rush of facing a difficult opponent. He was thankful nonetheless that there was nothing up till now that could be a threat to Nazarick.

I have to be careful about those heroes. If they prove to have the room to become a problem for Nazarick, they would have to be eliminated. But let's let them be for now. They could prove to be useful during the waves. Who knows what kind of monsters come during those "Waves of Destruction" that could possibly be a threat a threat to the entire world.

If the monsters attacking are weak yet rely on numbers, then there won't be much problem. I have the perfect spell for that. The worst case scenerio would be the monsters' power is comparable to the Floor guardians or more than that and they attack in numbers.

"It seems this is how the legendary weapons work." Myne asked him.

"Yes, it seems to power up, certain items are absorbed. By the way do these remnants of the balloon monster worth anything."

"Mhmm, maybe a piece of bronze. That would be a hundredth of a piece of silver."

"I see"

Well that's to be expected. I couldn't much of these monsters that were killed so easily.

They continued killing monsters till the sun set and it was almost night.

"We would like two rooms"

She looks she is happy.

"Very well then, if you will"

The innkeeper showed them to their rooms.

As Ainz entered his room, he cast a variety of anti-divination spells. He then removed his armor, saved his money in his pocket dimension and fell on his bed. He remembered all the things happened. He could not have got tired physically but his mental health deteriorated completed. He lay on his bed for ten minutes unmoving.

He then moved his left hand towards his skull and cast "Message" without moving from his position. It was Demiurge.

"Demiurge"

"Ainz-sama, I am most glad that you are safe."

"What is the situation over there."

"Yes! Nazarick is completely safe and has remained unattacked. Our scouts have spread throughout the forest. They had not left said forest as for to maintain caution."

"Very good. For now, tell Albedo to turn off the environment settings of the floors and give her authority in my name to turn them on in case of emergency."

"Yes!"

"Now that's out of the way, I guess I should explain everything to you everything that happened. I would like to come overe there and consult Albedo too but the Hanzos are still trying to figure out the location of Nazarick."

After that Ainz explained to him in detail not leaving even a speck of information behind including the fact that the Shield Hero was not the liking of the people. He had done so to of course get some help and insights on what to do.

"Further details we shall discuss later at Nazarick itself. For now, what do you think?"

"Although you most probably already have some idea regarding the matter in mind, allow me to try to aid you in any way , the fact they dare summon you without consent and then dare talk to you in such a disrespectful way is the biggest sin. They shall be gravely punished for such acts. Death would be too merciful for them."

As Demiurge continued talking, in Ainz's mind he was trying to remember why he had even tried to question the NPCs' loyalty at some point. Then Demiurge said something that caught his interest.

"Although that human's behavior seems suspicious."

"Suspicious? Elaborate on that."

"Yes, as I am sure you have already noticed that the girl is very clingy towards you even though the Shield Hero is disliked. And also, she had chosen the time of dinner to feed you information. It could indicate that she intends to tempt you into taking some alcohol-based component as humans usually do at such times. From this and the initial disliking of the shield hero, we could surmise that this could possibly have been a ploy against you. But that could not succeed because of your superior intellect and insights."

Hah, What?! Is that really how it is? I had thought for sure that she was being genuinely kind. But if Demiurge says so, it might be true. ALSO, how is this a result of his intellect. These NPCs should really stop taking me in such high least take credit for your own work.

"Leave the flattery. As i had said multiple times, even I could make mistakes. I had not considered this possibility. The credit goes to you. You shall be awarded for the same later."

"Surely you jest, Ainz-sama. A being like me could only hope to reach someone as great and majestic as you."

Did he not hear what I just said!?

"Well that aside, what do think shall be done?"

"All I could suggest right now is going along with it just as yourself. It would make the things clear and reveal more information."

"I see. Good work Demiurge. Do not forget to give Albedo the message. And I expect you to explain everything to all the guardians including Albedo and Pandora's Actor."

"Yes"

As Ainz cut off the message it was already time decided for dinner. Although he couldn't eat he still needed information. As he headed downstairs for so, he saw that Myne was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs. She greeted him with a smile and they sat down to have dinner.

"What do you want to have?", Myne asked

"Aah, I am not hungry, so I would pass."

Now that Demiurge has mentioned it and he looked carefully, she does seem to be overly kind while her smile looks kind of fake.

"So the fields we hunted in today were right here? And ahead of the fields is the forest?"

"Yes, that is correct."

Ainz was pointing towards a location on a map they had bought earlier. According to the map and Myne, the castle stood in the center surrounded by fields. There were roads that the lead to the woods, mountains, a river and a remote village. Also there was village on the other side of the forest called Lafan that had a dungeon.

After talking for some more time, as he was to leave for his room, what Demiurge had said had come true. She offered him wine multiple times but he declined. She did seem a little disappointed.

As he reached his room, he was thinking if what Demiurge said was true. He normally wouldn't doubt him, but this time there wasn't enough information available.

He instructed the hanzos he had earlier sent for information gathering to report to him through the mind connection. The hanzos reached at the told destination, his room within 5 minutes. The room was, of course, set up with many protection barriers from divination. The hanzos report made him mad to say the least.

First of all, the hanzo sent for procuring the location of Nazarick had reported the it had met up with the scouts of Nazarick inn the forest. Through that the location of Nazarick had been confirmed to him.

After that he cast fly and went through the window to Nazarick. He had done so, so that the information could be directly shared with everyone. He reached shortly in a well-hidden part of the forest while the hanzos and assassins followed him.

Nazarick's entrance came into view and he moved a bit closer before using the Ring of AOG. He had discarded his armor as soon as he had started for Nazarick. He had also informed Albedo to gather a meeting of all the guardians urgently without wasting a moment. She had been worried, even after Demiurge's report but more so she was angry at the lowly humans who had done many unforgivable deeds.

As he reached the room, he saw the kneeling guardians, went to his throne, gave them the cue to stand up, addressed their worries and pressed on the current matter. He urged the Hanzos to continue their report.

The remaining hanzos sent for searching for any information they could possibly get and searching for possibly strong enemies, made their report. According to them, the area from the castle to the forest was full of weak monsters that couldn't pose a threat whatsoever. The same could be said for humans in the town including the soldiers.

Next they had reported that the Shield Hero is quite discriminated against. As an evidence was the obvious basing of their religion on the three heroes except the Shield Hero. The reason for this was simple.

Demi-humans are heavily discriminated against and are often used as slaves. The same could be said for beastmen although they are not in high numbers in the town. For some reasons currently unknown, they think that the Shield Hero doesn't discriminate between races and considers humans and demi-humans in the same regard. There were most probably many other reasons too.

It looked as if the Church played a major role in all of this.

Ainz was not happy about the condition of demi-humans and beastmen. He would kill them or use them without a second thought if it was beneficial or necessary for Nazarick. But the same could be said for humans. He didn't support discrimination of any sorts. He just had his priorities straight.

But that was not the most shocking news of all. According of their report, one hanzo had went straight into the castle just behind the robed man he met earlier. As he searched the castle, he saw the human he was partying up with, Myne talking to a similar robed man. They spoke of something related to a devil. As he was tailed, he turned out to be the church's associate.

It also turned out that the girl's real name was Malty S. Melromarc and she was the daughter of the king.

That just confirms Demiuge's suggestion. That is..

Ainz was feeling angry. Very angry. Not at the fact that he was quite possibly being plotted against. But the feeling of getting betrayed. He was just barely holding the feeling of straight up killing her. No, killing here would have been too small of a punishment. Then, yet again his emotional suppression calmed his emotions like lake water on a sunny day.

As he looked over at the guardians, then at Albedo at his side, they all were trying to keep their furious expressions under control too. Most probably, Demiurge had informed them of this possiblity before. The Pleades and Sebas along with Pandora's actor were present too. Still there was one exception.

"What is it, Demiurge? Did you figure something out" Demiurge was standing there with a half-smile on his face.

'If I may have the permission to, may I ask a question?"

"Go ahead" What will he ask? Will it be about a plan? Arrgh, anything but that.

"Yes, Ainz-sama, were you planning on going back to that inn?"

That inn? I didn't think about that. Do I have to go back? But this is Demiurge! Think about it, what could possibly be the correct answer. Damn you Ulbert-san! Making his super-intelligent of a Arch-devil.

"Yes"

As he said that Demiurge got a worried face but that was immediately replaced by a wicked grin.

Here it comes again.

Demiurge went on one knee and spoke with ever-rising admiration along with a bit of nervouness mixed in it."

"Ainz-sama, that is, your intelligence is truly unfathomable. I can only guess what your plan could be but if I I am right, we couldn't possibly let you do that. At least allow Pandora's Actor to proceed in your stead. Those humans don't deserve to even possibly sully the great you with their petty accusations."

He lowered his head saying so. Albedo and Pandora's Actor too did the same in realization. The others followed suit in a bit of confusion. Although it seemed as they had learnt something too through Demiurge's words.

"Hoh! Did you figure it out?", Ainz sounded his words.

Its just as I thought this would go. Now, they all must be thinking that I have some kind of mastermind plan. For now, lets see what they are thinking.

"Good work, Demiurge. As expected of you, you completely figured it out."

"Surely you jest! I may have figured out a part of it but I am sure I am still far from figuring out the complete extents of your plan. As one would expect from the one who gathered all the Supreme Beings. Your existence is truly formidable."

"Umu. Now, explain the future plans of Nazarick, so that the others present here could easily understand."

"Yes", he said turning towards the other guardians.

"I trust nobody is stupid enough to not know that Ainz-sama's prime objective in the previous world was. That is to say, world domination."

Everyone nodded their heads in understanding as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. However, the one concerned, who must have made the decision was different.

World Domination! What the hell was that? When did that happen? Why did it happen?

Ainz tried to remember every single moment he might have said something like that but no avail. Granted, world domination wasn't a bad idea. But, it wasn't easy either.

He felt Demiurge's gaze on him.

"World domination. I see... so you still remembered, from, that time."

"Of course. I, Demiurge, have committed every word spoken by you to memory, Ainz-sama. This includes that time too. I couldn't possibly forget."

"Is that so, I did bring it up then... did I not?"

"Indeed"

"From that time, then?"

"Indeed"

"That time too?"

"Indeed"

What Time?!

"I see, indeed, this pleases me greatly, Demiurge"

"Thank you very much, Ainz-sama."

"Then... That's good. Continue the explanation."

"Yes. As we all know, these humans had dared interrupt Ainz-sama plan that was already proceeding smoothly. But since coming to this world Ainz-sama had already surmised the betrayal and had already devised a plan that perfectly uses this to our advantage. Also, his plan as I have surmised makes use of his new power and position as the so called 'Shield Hero' after most possibly being branded as a criminal in this world.

According to their prophecies, when the world is faced against the waves, the four legendary weapons along with the cardinal heroes save this world. According to the currently available information, we can predict that the humans in this world are a little stronger than those present in the previous one. Having said this, they still pose no threat to Nazarick. As for those heroes, they might be helpful against the waves. And if they start to become strong enough to pose a threat, they can be disposed off at any time.

Ainz-sama's plans are already in motion. I have predicted this by the actions done so by him. He had not left any summon in his inn room where he is staying as Momon. Also he had earlier said that he planned on returning back there..."

Demiurge explained the plan for almost half an hour, where everyone involved in the plan was thoroughly given their respective roles. Ainz was constantly admiring the superior intellect of Demiurge although he couldn't share these thoughts with anyone as his claims would be consistently denied.

Ainz had earlier decided that he himself would do his role but everyone had begged him to let it be done by Pandora's Actor. He was a bit uneasy at first but ultimately agreed. He was worried that he could end up doing something rather "out-of-context".

After all was talked about, He stood up from his throne and exited the room with 'Greater Teleportation'. He had gone to conduct some experiments.

He first went to the treasury to withdraw some equipment for the mentioned experiments. He then teleported to the colosseum on the sixth floor. There he checked his stats and did some tests.

Ainz was quite pleased with the results.

**The Morning In The Throne Room**

Pandora's Actor as Momon-'The Shield Hero' was being escorted by six soldiers to the throne room of this damned kingdom.

This kingdom that had dared to even sully his great master, his creator and the greatest of the supreme beings. Little did they know their little scheme had been destroyed before even starting, such was his great master. They all were nothing more than scrape-goats for his great plan. His plan for taking the world for himself.

On one side he was feeling intense respect and admiration for his creator while suppressing the urge to boast his indomitability to the others in Nazarick. How awesome was he- The Supreme Overlord of Nazarick and the depths of his intellect. Also, when he had transformed into Ainz-sama, he had felt his new power with the 'Shield Hero' stats. Although he wasn't able able to remove the shield, he had felt that this could be the best addition in the arsenal of his master.

While on the other side he felt the greatest of anger he had ever felt.

These humans had dared to disrespect his master after summoning him without his permission. His master's ploy had involved sparing a few of those humans but if he had to say, he had the longing to torture them and give them the worst death possible.

He had went to the inn room where his master was staying at dawn. After some time, as his master had predicted, a few soldiers came to arrest him of some charge. He had imbued fear into them by activating the 'Despair Aura I'.

As he was walking towards the room, he felt 6 eight-edge assassins in close proximity. The plan was going as planned.

While many others had received completely detailed descriptions of their jobs, he had got rather vague plans foe the first step. All he was told was ,"Act on your convenience as you see fit taking the talks earlier into consideration." He was delighted over this as this was a sign of trust from his master.

Nnnnnn Ainz-sama... I shall not fail your trust and live up to standards...

As Momon entered the room, he quickly scanned the surroundings making an estimate of the people present.

" ! Might I ask what is happening?"

That deplorable human hid behind the Spear Hero.

According to Ainz-sama, his name is Motoyasu Kitamura. I guess he is just as Ainz-sama described. And those must be Ren Amaki and itsuki Kawasumi.

The talks progressed and he got to learn the stupidity and ignorance of everyone present.

"Liar! If that was true, would Myne be crying like that."

Now is the moment.

"Hahahahahahaha", Pandora's Actor started laughing. To those present, this would've sounded of one who is a devil at heart. That was what he wanted. Then he looked over at Myne although his eyelids weren't visible. As he did that, he stopped, while making a disappointed sigh.

"Your highness, it seems that I am being accused of false charges. So I think justice should be properly given."

"Silence, Scoundrel. Any act of sexual aggression committed against the people of my kingdom would be punished immediately by death. It doesn't matter if you are a hero or a barbarian. I had an inkling the first time I saw you. I don't know where you lived or come from but we don't do things that way here."

"It was clear that you were different from us, but still I didn't think you would stoop this low, you wretch."

Well, that was expected.

Pandora's Actor gave the assassins who had already taken their positions the cue his command, they released some of their killing intent towards everyone present as the spear and swords were pointed at him.

"Stop!" He said in such a way that was clearly made for everyone present to listen.

"This crime of yours could not be forgiven. Your punishment will not stop. As you are the only line of defense against the waves you would not be given death but you will still be branded as a criminal..", the king shouted without thinking as predicted.

Pandora's Actor released 'Despair Aura I' speaking in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Let me ask you one last time, Are You Not Going To Listen To My Claims, even though I am the victim here."

Upon hearing such voice mixed in with the ominous aura, the king along with everyone faltered. Even the so-called "heroes" took a step back. It was visible they were scared.

No one currently present in the room is immune to its effects. So if 'Despair Aura V' is released their chances of survival are slim to none. This confirms that the heroes at their current level have no chances of posing a threat to anyone in Nazarick. Also according to Ainz-sama, if the power at different levels is same for all the heroes, then the likelihood of them growing stronger than a level-100 guardian is very low.

The king seemingly gathered all the courage left in him and spoke in a half-baked confident voice.

"I have nothing to listen to the Devil of the Shield."

Bingo, his words confirm the speculation that the church is possibly controlling or leading the thoughts of both this king and his daughter.

It was now time to end this.

"I see . That's too bad. But remember one thing. Be careful who you call a devil based on you instincts. Who knows, they might actually be one."

Whoosh. In one fell horizontal sweep from one of the great-swords, the heads of the 6 soldiers surrounding him was separated from their heads. Nobody in the room was able to conceive what had happened until their heads fell on the ground with a thud.

All the remaining guards came back to senses and readied their weapons. The same could be said for the Heroes.

Pandora's Actor used the blunt side of the swords to knock out the heroes with the sword and the had targeted the back their heads Resistance was futile and they went down without a problem. At that moment, the spear was launched at him. He avoided the attack and knocked the guy with the spear too.

Without wasting a moment the guards were met with an attack. One of them tried of receive the attack with his bastard-sword but the sword cracked in half because of the force. The person was divided in two from the chest to waist.

The king stood up trying to fight Momon. He moved at speed far faster than the others. But as he did so, Momon suddenly appeared in front of him and hit him four times qith his bare hands. Those four attacks were targeted at his shoulders and knees and had a lot of force behind them. The attacks completely shattered them rendering him immovable. Then one other attack aimed for his chest and he was sent flying back on his throne. He couldn't move and was forced to watch the carnage unfold.

He had already cast an anti-sound barrier so that nobody's screams would leak out of the room.

Just like that out of more than 60 people in the throne-room including the ministers, personal guards and the soldiers were reduced rapidly until a measly 5 remained. None of the ministers or the guards remained. The room was filled with blood and the insides of people scattered around the floor. On the contrary, there wasn't even a scratch on the black armor of the culprit.

And there was Momon sitting on a pile of corpses extremely still just like posing for a photograph. One of the sword was hanging on his back, while the other one was vertically standing with Momon's hand on it in a theatrical way. Nobody in the room dared move. He had stopped releasing the 'Despair aura'. The heroes were still unconscious.

Myne was lumping with eyes like dead fish and the ground around her wet. She had peed herself.

The king's condition wasn't any better either. He had fallen unconscious once but was woken up forcefully by Momon to hear the screams of those around him. It was clear that he had already resigned himself to death.

It looked like they had broke inside and probably wouldn't forget this. It would haunt them for the entirety of their lives. They were forced to listen to the screams of everyone. Their screams of agony as they writhed in pain, their pleading screams asking for mercy, their screams of frustration as they cursed the devil of the shield and lastly the ones most potent of them all. Their screams as they cursed the king and his daughter for provoking said devil, placing the blame of their deaths on them.

Pandora's Actor as Momon, stood up in almost slow-motion. He then spoke words in a firm manner. But the words said were the face of the harsh truth that had to be faced no matter what.

"As the world teeters on the edge of destruction, 4 legendary weapons are summoned along with the cardinal heroes. The heroes fend off the waves that rain down destruction to protect said world. And I was summoned as the Shield Hero as the last line of defense. But as soon as I arrive, what happens?"

Momon snapped his fingers and said in a sarcastic voice of sorts.

"I am provided with unjust treatment even though nothing wrong was done. And then my supposed comrade betrays me and accuses me of false charges."

Both of them stayed quiet just looking at him.

Everything proceeded just as planned. Now as for the last part.

Momon walked towards the king. Everyone could just follow him with their eyes. The king's expression grew even more grim as he was approached. Momon stored his second sword on his back and lifted up the chin of the king with his index finger so that they could see eye to eye. Although that is said, the king only saw glowing dots of the red light through the narrow slit in the helmet where the eyes were supposed to be.

"Y-You! You de-devil of the shield! I won't let you destroy my family again."

"You not only disrespected me but also the place I come from. My home. Do you know what that means. Be thankful that you are alive."

With that he left the side of the crying king and walked towards the exit. Before exiting, he turned one last time to face everyone alive in the room and declared.

"I will fight the waves to protect what is important to me. You better take the heroes to rest before they wake up or they too would lose their wills to fight."

With that Pandora's Actor left the room along with 4 assassins.

Nnnnnnn, Ainz-sama, my benovolent creator! The work has been done! I hope it pleases you... Pandora's Actor thought while mentally saluting.


	5. Chapter-5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some work to do, so this chapter is a few hours late. Next one will be at the usual (I guess).  
> Thanks for all the support.  
> Enjoy

**After leaving the throne-room**

Pandora's Actor was quite satisfied at how the plan was proceeding but he still wasn't happy. Those who had dared insult his home and his master had to be tormented for eternity. But he had to leave the king and his daughter alive to lure them in.

He left the castle not paying attention to the scornful gazes he received from many humans. Those looks were for the fake accusations that were meant to sully his master. They had not known what had just happened.

Upon exiting he went straight through the grass fields into the forest now, he was walking and had not used gate or teleportation so that his follower didn't lose track of him.

After 30 minutes, he arrived at the entrance of the forest.

He confirmed that the person was indeed following him. That meant this person was from some other organization that did not work for the king or the royal family at least. There was also the chance that they had informed someone of the circumstances in the castle beforehand. Because if that wasn't the case, they wouldn't have left the king and princess in the conditions they were in. To confirm this, was the other reason he had to leave those two alive.

He walked for a few more minutes until they were deep within the forest.

This much should be fine.

"Go."

At this command, the 4 eight-edge assassins following him spread in the backwards direction. They moved at very high speeds and surrounded their target.

As for the target, they had realized something was off but didn't even know what happened until surrounded by spider-like monsters, with razor sharp claws at her throat.  
****

She froze and held her hands up. As someone who specialized in stealth missions, she was able to tell immediately that she had no chance of escaping, let alone defeating them. Momon approached her slowly,

"Either come without resistance or get tormented for life."

"I'll come." Immediate reply.

"Good"

She was wearing a black robe that covered her whole body and wore a white mask that covered half her face. It would have been difficult for one to tell her gender just from outward appearance.

They walked for a while she was surrounded by those monsters. They reached a burnt tree that stood out in the forest filled with greenery.

Momon then touched the side of his helmet with two fingers and said to empty air.

"Go ahead.."

At this, it seemed as if the space warped. It looked like the fabric of reality itself was teared up and a hole big enough for both of them to pass opened. Black and red aura was emanating from inside, or from on it. She couldn't tell.

"Go on."

Momon was tempting her to go into that hole. Who knows what would happen to her. Killing herself was the best action right couldn't possibly imagine leaking potential information about her ruler.

But, she knew that he would not let that happen. He had been so fast in there and wasn't even fazed after killing so many. Even those monsters seemed to follow his will. She couldn't see any other option than to do as he said at the moment.

She forced her legs to walk through the hole. As she touched it, her hand passed as there was nothing present there. She was wondering about the nature of something like this but as she passed through it completely, she was utterly shocked. At the fact that the scenery in front of her eyes changed.

According to legends, the cardinal heroes possessed the abilities to teleport to marked locations. But this was too early to possess it and it was only limited to the hero's party members. Also, there was the fact that she didn't see the shield hero, Momon use any of his ability. And the words he said were suspicious too.

Momon followed behind her. What her sight had welcomed was a small shed. At the side of the door, there was very beautiful lady in a maid costume standing there. She had long and straight black hair tied in a ponytail. Even her dress seemed of better quality than those wore by nobles. However, her dress had various golden and silver plates...

She stood there very elegantly as she bowed towards Momon.

Momon moved in front of her and addressed the maid,

"Send her in after ten minutes."

"Understood"

He opened the doors but she could not see inside as Momon was blocking the view. As the door closed, silence. The thought of trying to escape came into mind. But she was at an unknown location and she had a abnormally bad premonition that she just couldn't. She couldn't hear anything beyond the doors and she didn't even try to start a conversation with the maid. The maid looked genuinely uninterested.

Few minutes of awkward silence passed. None had moved from their position. After exactly ten minutes the maid held out the hand and was about to touch the door but said something without moving her gaze from the door.

"Don't you dare and try disrespect our master, or you and your benefactor shall suffer a fate worse than death."

She felt a chill down her spine. It was similar to the one she had felt in the throne room before Momon started the carnage.

The giant doors completely opened without resistance with just a touch of the maid's hand. She took one step but the next sight completely changed her views about this place.

It was after that, that she understood that there was something more terrifying than the waves of calamity that end the world. It was then, she realized what true fear was.

Inside was a room that could be compared to the throne room in terms of space. The shed was very small from the outside but that did not match the inside at all.

In front of her sight was death incarnate. On a throne made of some kind of expensive metal was sitting a skeleton. But it was not dead. It was an undead. She had only heard of those in fantasies and there was a rumor that these appeared with the waves. Its whole body was covered with a robe that would put any and all others to shame. Only its face of bone and ribs with lights that looked like they were fueled on hatred glowing within its eyes.

What was truly frightening was that its left arm had a small shield. It was the same shield as Momon. The same as the Shield Hero. That could only mean one thing. Inside the black-suit of armor was this. That this undead was the Shield-hero. Just whose wrath has the king released upon this world...

Beside him on both sides stood monsters, or not. She wasn't able to tell. One of them had a plain white face with three holes in it. It wore very different kind of yellow clothing. While at the other side was a very pale young girl with silver hair like the moon. There was only one way to describe her. 'Beautiful'.

She made her legs take a few steps forcefully. As she was a few feet away from them, the girl beside the undead spoke.

"Bow down before the supreme being."

She went on one knee without thinking. She knew that she had to report about this to the queen and for that she needs to stay alive. There was no more thinking about it.

"Stand up." The undead sitting on the throne spoke just like a ruler would. She stood up slowly as respectably as she could.

"So now, shall we start.."

**While In The Castle Town**

In the bustling streets of the town, were walking an old man along with a small hooded figure that one could mistaken for his grandchild.

The old man was in a high-class black suit and had white hair and beard. The small -hooded figure had mismatched eyes and long ears. The man walked with a refined movement while the hooded figure walked beside him.

They were Sebas Tian and Aura Bella Fiora. They had been in this town since the last night. Their mission was to simply figure out where the demi-humans as slaves were sold off and bring them all under their control. This was done to increase the war potential of Nazarick and a few other motives. This was also done because their master wanted to know more about this world and conduct a few experiments.

After reconnaissance and gathering information for the past few hours, they had finally found what they were looking for. They arrived in front of a huge tent. Before this they had brought under control a few other slaves from slave traders but none of them were on this scale. They could sense around a couple hundred beings inside the tent.

As for bringing them under their control, simply using force would have been sufficient but their master had ordered them to do the opposite. That was to ensure that they could continue supplying them with demi-humans and information without reserve. These traders got a lot of information from traders from other towns and cities.

They could have been simply replaced, but bringing them under direct control would have been more profitable. If they refused to comply then the use of force was allowed.

They entered the tent completely masking their presence. They passed many cages that contained many demi-humans. Some had the resemblance of a human while some resembled beasts more. They walked though the passages towards the center of the tent where only a single person was present.

As they reached the center in front of the person, they saw a somewhat small man with a mustache. He wore a weird kind of suit and was sitting down while handling some papers. Upon noticing the two, the man gracefully lifted himself from his chair and got a creepy smile on his face.

He straightened himself then slightly bowed after getting a hold of his short-stick. He was conducting himself with utmost manners.

"Now, what might you be looking for, dear customer.."

Sebas with both of his hands behind him, spoke in a deep voice that fit him perfectly.

"Hello, we have come here to make a deal."

"That's what I am here to serve you for. Now what kind of deal are you talking about?"

Not once was his face free from the sinister smile.

"First, my name is Sebas and the one beside me . As for what kind of deal. It would seem that the humans of this world, namely the royalty of this country has rudely summoned our master along with his home. He has came to be referred as ' The Shield Hero'. But even more infuriating is that they had plotted against him as to sully his name. This could not be forgiven.

So, we are here to simply take all the demi-humans including you under our master's control. This also includes all the information you won't be using force unless you resist. And of course considering this is a deal, you will be provided with appropriate reciprocation in kind. We would not like to force you to submit but we will resort to it in the case of your disagreement."

It looked as the speech had been practiced beforehand. The face that had a smile mere moments ago was now twisted. He immediately put a smile on his face back but it wasn't the one he showed before.

"Is your master really the Shield Hero?"

"Yes, I believe he is referred as that in this world."

"And would you be willing to tell me what kind of plot was played against him?"

"That would be quite difficult but I am sure you would hear it shortly."

"I see"

He got his old smile back on his face

"What would I be gaining in this deal?"

"We currently do not possess the currency of this world but as for now, we may offer you gold items or equipment as our master deems fit."

"I see. I see. Are you sure that you possess enough power to make me bend my will?"

His voice wasn't filled with ignorance or arrogance as one would in such a situation. He spoke in a very polite voice. He was a businessman to the core and would gladly deal with anything as long as it gains him profit. Sebas understood this and responded in kind.

"Yes. I am quite sure we possess power enough to at least force you right now."

"I see. I suppose my answer needs to be immediate?"

"Yes"

"Then, I guess I will have to accept. But may I at least see the items I would be paid in."

"That is not possible currently as it has not been decided what you will be paid but be at ease. Our master does not steal from people. You will be paid in equivalent to what we receive from you."

"I guess it can't be helped. I gracefully accept your proposal. I hope for good relations in the future."

"It's good that you understand. All the other traders in the town were quite unpleasant and in the end, what happened could not be called a deal. As for now, we will be leaving a bodyguard in your shadow for your protection. If you have anything to ask, you may contact us through your bodyguard. We hope for your absolute loyalty towards our master. I suppose you understand what would happen to you if information about us were to leak. We would be taking all the demi-humans with us by dusk. Your payment will be delivered to you after few days."

"Yes, I would be looking forward to it."

With the deal finalized, Sebas looked over to Aura in her hooded figure. It was quite rare to see her so quiet. But as soon as she took off her hood,

"Yo. It seems you are quite sharp."

Her cheery voice called out to the slave trader. It seems she was intentionally holding back. Upon seeing the long ears of Aura, the smile of the trader widened. He suppressed his urge to ask more about her for now.

"Hahaha. You are quite mysterious indeed. It is a pleasure doing business with you."

"Yes. we will taking our leave then. The shadow demon is already with you."

With that, Sebas and Aura left the tent and the slave trader was left alone in there.

"Pretty sharp, huh! Who's the sharp one here..."

The smile widened even more as he looked at all the cages. There was a hint of pity and happiness, both mixed within. Not for the slaves but maybe for himself.

**After 1 Hour**

As the trader was handling some paperwork sitting on his desk in the middle of his tent, three figures entered his line of sight entering from the entrance of the tent. He saw two figures he had seen before but the last one was unknown to him. As they came closer, he realized who it was.

In a full black armor with gold decorations done and a small white shield on arm. He realized he was the shield hero. The one referred as the other two's master. His face was all smiles again. He bowed slightly,

"Welcome. Shield-hero."

He felt unsure of what to refer to him as but it seemed this was fine.

"Aah, yes. I see you have got quite a few slaves with you."

"With utmost respect, these are no longer my possession but yours."

"Hmm. I see. I suppose that is correct. So who is the strongest you have got here?"

"Yes, please come this way. I would recommend this slave. He's level 75." As the curtain over the cage was removed, a wolf like beast-man appeared. He was being very submissive and sitting quietly inside the cage. According to the trader it was a Wolf-man.

"Hmm? Level 75? Aura come here and check how it would fare against your beasts."

"Yes, it seems he can fight on par with somewhat 20 to 30 level beasts.I am not too sure myself."

"I see. Its fine. Aura, all of these here are under your direct control. Be sure to train them properly. And don't be too harsh on them. We don't know about the beasts of this world. Tell me if you find something interesting. Ah, but I want to conduct some experiments regarding the power levels and level caps. So I will be taking one of them under my direct training. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, Ainz-sama. But are you sure that you have to be troubled for such task."

"Its fine. Slave trader, hmm, it is quite unpleasant addressing you like that. What is your name?"

"My name is Beloukas. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

"My name is Ainz Ooal Gown. But you must refer to me as Momon, as that is the guise I go by."

"Yes, is addressing you as Shield-Hero fine."

"I guess that's fine. Now moving one, as for my experiments, I would like to see the weakest demi-human you have at present."

"Demi-human huh? Please come this way."

He moved a few cages ahead and then lifted the curtain of a certain cage.

Inside was a very small girl, about 7 or 8 years of age. She had a very scrawny body. She was wearing a black-brown one piece that looked as if made of carry bags. She had bruises all over her body. Her eyes seemed dead, like all hope had been didn't even seem to flinch when light had suddenly entered her eyes.

"She would be among the weakest of my slaves right now. She is a racoon-type with severe mental and physical disorders. She has quite a lot of panic attacks in the middle and her health doesn't seem likely to heal any time soon."

"What's her level?"

"She is still at level-1."

"That is quite good. Aura, she will directly be under me. You may have the rest."

"Yes, Ainz-sama."

As all was said, first, Aura began taking control of the slaves one by one. Almost all the demi-humans except a few beast-men just submitted themselves without a fight whereas, those that tried to fight off simply gave in under the pressure of Aura. Even Belaukas started sweating once she started, but the smile never vanished. He was a businessman to the core.

Belaukas had asked if they wanted to use the slave-seal. Ainz was quite curious if this would work but it seemed like blood was needed for that. As Ainz didn't have blood and Sebas had no use having slaves, the idea was abandoned. Aura anyways didn't require the use of seals and her skills as a beast tamer would have been fine.

All those present were under the control of Aura and only the raccoon-type demi-human remained. She had gotten quite scared because of the pressure emanated by Aura. Ainz bent down until the point it was possible. He looked into her eyes but she didn't make contact.

"What's your name?"

"..."

"What's your name?"

"Ra-Raphtalia" Her voice was so quiet normally one would not have been able to hear it, but not Ainz...

"Raphtalia huh... Its a nice name."

Ainz could not tell why but he had a bit of sympathy for her. Or maybe he didn't even know it himself.

"Stand up!"

"..."

"Stand up!"

This time she slowly got to her two feet. She had looked so weak that Ainz was quite surprised himself that she was able to stand.

Ainz produced a healing potion out of thin air. It was in a narrow glass flask with red potion. He held out the potion towards the racoon girl. She hesisitated. Perhaps she mistook it for blood. Others had done so before. Or perhaps she was just too scared.

"Drink it!"

"EEHH! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"

"There is nothing to apologize for. This is a healing potion. Drink it."

She weakly nodded and slowly extended her hand towards the potion. She was still hesitating. She took the vial from his hand and took one sip from the flask. She had a look of surprise upon the effects that the potion had. She could feel power and warmth emanating inside her. She then gulped down another few sips.

Only a little more than half the potion was consumed by her and all her injuries had healed already. Ainz felt that the effects of the potion were a little more potent than shown in the new world. She had more than just a few bruises and she had a disease too. But still, the healing potion was showing a much better result. Maybe the effects of it changed or are better in this world. Ainz would have to check it out.

She emptied the glass vial and returned the vial to Ainz. Ainz stored it in his pocket space and confirmed that she had healed completely.

"Thank you"

She was still very quiet and timid. Ainz had expected that this would most probably not be enough to get her trust. She reminded him of the orphans he had often seen on the roadsides in his original world.

"Hmm. You seem to be fine. That's good. Now then, Beloukas."

"Yes, Shield hero."

"Tell me what this would be worth." Ainz said as he took out a YGGDRSIL coin out. He tossed it to Beloukas and he caught him.

"Let me check it out. Hmm, Hmm? It is very strange. The material is undoubtedly gold but at the same time it is not only gold. It's as if it is pure and impure at the same time.

Whattt! I-It has magic mixed within it. And that too unknown magic. Shield hero, is it made from the magic in your previous world?"

His smile was no more and he was acting just like a little child checking out a new toy.

"Ah. Yes. It is. So tell me how much is it worth."

"Thi-this is worth around 25 gold coins or even more. If you give me just 100 of these coins, no, even 90 would be fine. Then, everything in this tent would be paid for."

Just 100 of these coins would not hurt Ainz or Nazarick in the tiniest. But he was still hesitant to give coins from YGGDRASIL away as they were limited in number and he didn't want to reveal much about himself, and of course not get new type of coins into existence.

But he was even more stuck-up on giving away weapons and equipment. The trader would surely trade them for a hefty amount of money. But those weapons and equipment could eventually end up in the hands of an enemy. So he had to make a choice.

He took out 110 coins from his inventory and handed them to Beloukas. He seemed very pleased at that.

"I expect you to serve me faithfully."

"As you wish."

"Aura, get those with free wills the best training from the area guardians and Mare. I would like to see their growth. Also, as for Raphtalia, Cocytus will be training her and as for magic, we will see."

"I understand, Ainz-sama."

"Now then."

As he said this, the black armor covering his body disappeared and his real self dressed in exquisite robes was revealed. As expected, this came as a shock to all present except the guardians. Without saying anything else, Ainz opened a 'Gate'. He went through the gate and took Raphtalia along with him. Sebas and the demi-humans followed him with Aura at last. Beloukas was scared but at the same time was quite amused.

As Ainz and the others went through the gate, they were deep in the forest in front of Nazarick. He messaged Shalltear to open up a gate to the sixth-floor. Yet another giant gate opened and they all went through without making another noise. They arrived in the middle of giant colosseum there. He went ahead with Raphtalia, Aura and Sebas while all the "slaves" were lined up and bowed.

"Stand up. I expect you to serve Nazarick to the best of your abilities. You will be provided with fighting gear and expect you to become strong enough to be worthy of staying here. You need not be worried for as long as your loyalty doesn't waver in the least, you won't be mistreated. Hence this day, I announce that you are hereby a part of Nazarick."

Ainz turned towards the small racoon-girl beside him and addressed her. She did seem to be the most scared of all, seeing as though she was kept different from the others.

"The same goes for you." She weakly nodded.

"Good. Aura, tell Mare to prepare lodgings for all of them on this floor only. Sebas, I expect you could handle the matters of their nourishment."

"Yes""Understood"

"Good job, for now send Pestonya over here to heal their wounds. Those who have more grave injuries that might require immediate action, you are allowed te use the healing scrolls we have present."

With that Ainz teleported to the 10th floor in front of the throne room. Currently there should only be Demiurge and Albedo in there. Also, there was Yuri Alpha who was currently standing in front of the giant doors to the room. She bowed before Ainz before opening the doors to the room.

Ainz entered the room with Yuri following him. Albedo and Demiurge were also kneeling on two sides in front of the throne. Ainz continued towards the throne. At one point, Yuri stopped following him and knelt and Albedo started behind him instead.

"Be at ease" Ainz said in a practiced manner. The two kneeling in front of him stood up.

"Demiurge, how is everything progressing?"

"Ainz-sama. Everything is progressing just as anticipated. All the slaves and their traders of Melromarc are under our control. This will lead to various problems in the country, and especially the castle-town. They will be hard pressed for labor and won't be able to supply their needs properly. This problem is expected to only grow as time passes and will be the most problematic for nobles.

Also, the fact that the country's top executives and ministers are no longer present will make it even more harder for the growing problems to settle down. This will lead to unrest and conflicts within the country. There will be conflicts especially for gaining the seats of power that are left demi-humans purchased as slaves will be an addition to the forces of Nazarick.

The robed woman caught earlier was, as you know, unexpectedly directly in service to the queen. Or it would be more accurate to say the monarch. The assassins sent to follow her in hiding have not yet reported back, but the queen is expected to get the invitation within a few days."

"I see. So far everything seems fine. Good job Demiurge."

"I am undeserving of such praise."

"Umu, Albedo, you have to assign some of the close-combat area guardians to the training of the demi-humans. Mare had already been summarized about his job of seeing if tier-magic is accessible by them, who are the inhabitants of this world. Depending on the result, we may have to be more careful regarding showing and using our magic in this world. Also, assign low to high tier equipment from the treasury to them depending on their individual capabilities. Leave the one I will be monitoring myself."

"Yes. But Ainz-sama, If I may be so impudent. Why were the demi-humans of this filthy world allowed in the Great Tomb Of Nazarick. Would it not have been better to dispose off of them. Especially, the one you are going to monitor by yourself. Is it really required for someone like you to be doing something petty like this. "

"No, Albedo. The demi-humans as far as we know are hated in this country. This could become a reason enough for them to bear hostility towards humans. So, they could become useful pawns against the humans when needed. This will also help us know about the power the people of this world could achieve."

"Understood."

"Good. Now. Yuri Alpha."

"Yes"

"As discussed earlier, you along with Pestonya work on recovering the health of those demi-humans. If they have mental traumas, see if stabilizing magic could help. If not, try to resolve those to the best of your capacity, so that they turn to be even more thankful and loyal."

"Understood, Ainz-sama."

With this, all the matters of the day were resolved. Ainz was dead tired, mentally of course and was just thinking of going to his room and rest.

Demiurge, as usual, had taken the words spoken by his master to be a puzzle that he needed to solve in order to gain even a little insight on his master's grand scheme. His excited smile was easily visible to everyone in the throne-room.


	6. Chapter-6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have got a chapter focusing on Raphtalia. Hope you enjoy it.  
> Thanks for your support  
> Enjoy

Ainz had been lost in thoughts for a while. He was currently in his office on the 10th floor.

He had come to learn that the magic system of YGGDRASIL and this world were completely different. There were a few similarities here and not much.

For example, there were no sun and moon elements, but instead light and dark were present. The light and dark elements were observed to have very similar effects to that of sun and moon elements respectively. This was the biggest similarity present.

As for himself, Ainz had the ability to use this World's magic. Although he could only use support and healing magic. He could currently use only one support-type spell and its power was barely comparable to 1st-tier. But with 'Boost Magic' and Ainz's other skills, he could make its effect pretty potent. But that wasn't the best he had got since arriving in this world.

He had discovered quite a few things when he had tried this Shield on his first night in this World. The shield was something that could be the best addition to his original powers. It could ultimately make him powerful enough to defeat his former friend, Touch-me.

It had an ability to copy any shield with the exact same stats. Abilities of some were copied whereas of some were not. It did not matter the class of the equipment, it could be exactly copied. It could belong to mid class, divine class or even World class. He had found this out when walking closely past a death knight. The information of this ability got imprinted into his memory. He had copied two shields possessed by the undead in Nazarick and one other shield.

As for one other advantage, his shield could potentially have infinite growth. He could use various parts of monsters to grow his shield. In one day only, he had strengthened the shield so much. This was because many of the summoned beings in Nazarick could be described as monsters. Ainz had almost upgraded the shield around 5 times using different monster fragments.

He had tried upgrading his shield with the floor guardians' hair or Albedo's feathers but no avail. All the heteromorphic creatures were not considered to be shield decided on its own what was to be considered as monsters. He had even tried to use rings and such with defensive spells but that didn't work either.

But it had a very shocking disadvantage that he wasn't able to equip himself with any weapons other than a shield. This could hinder his previous fighting style quite a lot as he had normally used a staff while fighting. But still, he wasn't completely unfortunate in this matter.

As the power of this shield was only between Divine and World-class items, it only affected equipment lower that its meant equipment with more power that the shield could be equipped.

The World-items and The Staff Of Ainz Ooal Gown whose power was comparable to that of WCI came into this category and were the only weapons he could equip. He wasn't sure if there would be any adverse effects on their performance, but from the tests he did on the 8th floor, there were none. He would have to rethink his fighting strategies though.

But right now, he has been thinking how to get the mentally disoriented demi-humans to get the will to fight. Since arriving yesterday, all of their wounds have been pretty much healed already. Many of them had already sworn loyalty to him in fear of his and his subordinates' powers. Almost all of them were aggressive beast-men who followed the law of the jungle.

As for demi-humans, a few of them, unwillingly so, had agreed to fight and grow stronger. But almost half of them were too scared of fighting that they would go unconscious at even the sight the blood. Those whose mental health was able to improve using magic were training under several area guardians and Mare.

Those currently training easily adapted to using swords, spears, bows, knuckles and such. But the problem was magic. It was very difficult for both them and Mare because of the completely different kind of magic.

The biggest problem of all was the raccoon-type he had announced he would monitor himself. He had thought that he could get her to at least swing the sword but she wasn't even able to endure the sight of blades. It seemed she had lived through quite the trauma. His original plan was to see how strong the inhabitants of this world could get with YGGDRASIL items. This would also prove useful in adding manpower to Nazarick.

At his orders, none of the 'slaves' bought were to be treated like slaves but like inhabitants of Nazarick. This could both increase the their willingness to work and stay loyal to Nazarick.

He had to something about the raccoon-girl, Raphtalia by himself. He could not go back on his word now. He had even went to the treasury to bear a suitable weapon for her.

It turned out the type of magic she had natural affinities for were light and dark magic. As such he had chosen a weapon with the moon element.

As Ainz was ruminating about this , he heard a knock on his door. The maid in charge for the day went to receive the visitor.

"Ainz-sama, Demiurge-sama has a report to make."

"Send him in."

"Yes"

With this, Demiurge entered the room and knelt before him.

"Stand up Demiurge. What do you need to report?"

"Yes, a report from the eight-edge assassins stationed at the castle has come. Contact between them and that girl had been initiated in the castle."

"Hmm. That's good. Send one of the mercenary doppelgangers from Chacmool's Erich String Orchestra. I suppose the plan is going accordingly."

"Yes, it is as you say. According to the information collected, until all the heroes are not killed, new ones can't be summoned. But, each of the heroes may turn out to be vital for the protection against the waves. So, it is a very plausible theory that they would likely either try to imprison you alone or attempt to assassinate you along with the other heroes. Until the strength of the waves aren't confirmed, we could not do much about the heroes either."

"I see. By the way, what are the conditions of the heroes and the others? Did they lose their wills to fight or were their wills fueled by our actions"

"The conditions of the throne-room were found out by a patrolling guard. The heroes were then moved to rooms in the castle and it seems like they bear feelings of hostility and revenge along with great fear. This is especially true for the spear one. The king too is the same and that girl is enraging the king even more. "

"Demiurge, continue the good work. I will go check-up on the progress of the demi-humans"

"Yes."

Ainz teleported out of his office into the sixth floor Colosseum. Aura immediately came into view.

"Welcome, Ainz-sama."

"Mhmm. How are the demi-humans doing?"

"Most of them seem capable with swords and bows. The one under your direct care is still the same"

"I see. That is quite troublesome. Bring her to me."

"Yes."

Aura ran off with small clouds of dust forming behind her.

A few minutes later, Aura came riding on a chimera-like beast with Raptalia just behind her on a similar beast. She had teary eyes and was barely holding on the rough beast. Upon reaching a few meters away from him, the beasts stopped and they both got off.

"Aura, leave us alone."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this Raphtalia's eyes darkened. She began shaking uncontrollably and was scared of what was to become of her. Ainz's appearance alone was enough to make someone fall into the clutches of fear and her past all the more worsened the situation.

Ainz sighed in his mind and started towards her. She stood not moving from her spot yet trembling in fear. As Ainz was not even 2 meters away from her, he asked her an unexpected question.

"Do you like the sky here?"

"Huh?"

"The sky here, do you like it?"

"..."

There was no response yet quivering had somewhat slowed. She had not expected a question like this. After a few seconds, she nodded.

"You see, this is not the real sky. You, we are underground right now. This is something my dear friends made. This one in particular was made by one who really loved nature."

"Huhh! T-This is not real?"

"It's beautiful. Is it not?"

She nodded, unnoticed by her, her trembling knees had already settled. Maybe this was because of the casual tone he was taking.

For Ainz himself too, this was an opportunity to vent up his stress. All the NPCs already knew most of the things about Nazarick and he could not talk in this way with them. But for one such as Raphtalia, who had no prior knowledge on such matters, this was a chance for him to boast of Nazarick and his dear friends. He had realized that and was acting as such.

"Would you like to have a closer look?"

Her eyes went from the ground to the sky, to him. She nodded weakly. Upon getting the approval, Ainz lifted up her small body and placed it one of his arms. The seat would have been uncomfortable but Ainz chose to ignore that matter now. He cast fly and his body lifted itself into the air. He could have just given her the necklace with fly spell, but he thought she wouldn't be able to utilize it just yet. He wasn't even sure if YGGDRASIL spells embedded in equipment was accessible by her or not.

They went up quite some distance until a few meters away from the ceiling. The stars all seemed to be very close and the view was just fabulous. Ainz himself considered this sky created by 'Blue-Planet', one of his former friends to be a masterpiece. This could easily be mistaken for a starry night. In some ways, it could even be considered more amazing.

"Beautiful."

Raphtalia's eyes reflected the light from the stars making them glitter pretty. If not for Ainz's appearance one would have mistook it to be a lovely interaction between the two. Ainz would have really looked to be her father. Ainz continued talking about his comrades and this place, his home.

"It was created by me and my friends together. All of it. Everyone here is their children. My children."

Raphtalia was now timidly looking at Ainz, and not the sky. She was frightened yet she did not feel any danger. She did not feel the fear she had felt with her previous owners. In only one day, her health was completely restored by him and she had been provided with delicious food she could only have dreamt of. After so many sleepless nights, she had at last went to sleep with a full stomach.

Given, she had soiled the sheets she had been provided with for sleep, she was sure that she would be punished harshly. She was sure she would be made to work until her bones screamed of pain. Yet, the one with the long ears had just simply brushed it off, saying that it was 'Ainz-sama's order' to treat everyone nicely and forget their mistakes.

She was stunned at the ways things developed. Even when she had made a mistake, she was simply forgiven and later even provided with an exquisite breakfast. For the people living here, it might have been a small matter, but for her it was the most kind someone had ever been to her.

The one who brought her from the slave trader, healed her, gave her food to eat, and forgave her mistakes. Even the room she had shared with one another demi-human was comparable to a noble's room. She just wondered who and what kind of being he was. One who was held in so high regard at this place, someone who was followed by all. And such being who could create such place. Unreasonably enough, she believed all he said.

She mustered up her courage and asked a question she was wondering about. In her mind, maybe she already knew the answer to that question, but still she had to ask.

"W-what happened to your friends?"

"My friends, huh?"

He pondered for a while. The right streaks of light glowing in his eyes turned to her, then back towards the wonderful sky.

"My friends are, no. They are not here anymore."

Ainz hadn't lost hope that there might be other players beside him, and still held expectations.

Raphtalia had probably sensed the loneliness and sadness emanating from tightened the grip of her little hands on his robe. She didn't know how to reply. Ainz saw this and tried to change the subject.

"So, Raphtalia, let me ask you. Are you scared?"

"..."

She had no reply for that either. Rather, she had a reply but didn't want to say. Still she managed to nod timorously.

"What are you scared of? Me? The people down there? Humans? Or is it something else?"

"H-humans and, and blood."

She remembered the time she lived peacefully with her parents. The parents she loved so much. Then the humans who had attacked her peaceful village. She remembered everything clear as day. The day the villagers were killed as their screams begging to least spare their children. The moment her father and mother had entrusted their lives to her as they pushed her off the cliff. The moment she saw swords pass through the kind hearts of her parents. The last they smiled at her.

She remembered accurately all that had happened as she was put in a cage as a slave with her friends. Those said friends' faces as they cried themselves to sleep. The despicable noble that smiled as he abused and traumatized her. All was remembered without a single memory missing.

She didn't even realize that she was shedding tears heavily and letting all her emotions flow onto the robe of Ainz. She cried and cried until she let all her bottled emotions overflow and all her tears dried up. He gently patted her back with cold fingers. But the same cold fingers filled Raphtalia with warmth.

Ainz slowly descended unto the Colosseum but she did not let go of his clothes. Ainz felt quite uneasy not knowing what to do.

"Why don't you try to stand up and face your fears then?"

"..."

"I am giving you a chance. A chance so that what happened to you may not happen to others. Your friends or relatives who might still be suffering, to free them from that."

The lines he spoke were very cheeky, yet were true.

"But I'm scared."

"That's why you need to stand up to your fears."

"But.."

Ainz put her down. She stood facing the ground.

"Look at me. Who are you more scared of? Me or them?"

She wondered for a moment, then made eye contact with AInz,

"Them." Her voice was still very low and nervous but the answer was decided.

Ainz took out the sword he had chosen.

The blade was made of mithril and was decorated with beautiful streaks of silver. The hilt was black with similar pattern. The sheath of the sword was pure white with black crack-like design. It could be compared as a smaller version of Japanese bill sword.

He held it towards Raphtalia, and all she did was stare at it for a long time. Her hand very slowly reached out and held it. Ainz removed his hand and the sword suddenly jolted down because of its weight. Provided, the sword was light, but for her it was still considerably heavy.

The blade was called "The Crescent moon's sting". It was a legacy-class equipment. Although it was of very good grade compared to this world or even many of the items in Nazarick, there was no one in Nazarick who used this. This was because everyone had equipment better suited to them.

It had good stats and a few abilities but the best part was that it was easy to master. This sword was mainly used by players up to level-40. This was the best suited weapon for a beginners. Its power lay not within its stats but two of its abilities that could change the tide of the battle.

The first one "Moonlight Blessing" casts a magical barrier on the user that protects against any one magic attack up to the 7th tier or reduce the reduce the damage of higher-tier magic by 40%. This ability could be used thrice a day with a 10 minutes cooldown. He had already confirmed that the magic from this world can be protected against.

The second was an offensive ability called "Eclipse". It does elemental damage to all foes in a 20 meter radius in front of the user. It is more effective enemies with positive karma values.

She gathered strength and lifted up the blade, not wanting it to touch the ground. She took the blade out of the the sheath halfway through. The light from the stars reflecting upon the silver blade made it look very alluring.

"Umm. Thi-this is.."

"Keep it. Its yours now. Your training will start tomorrow. Its your duty to master it."

She nodded, yet this time it wasn't that apprehensive and a little strength and hope were reflected in her eyes.

"Good" With this Ainz tepeported away.

Raphtalia was left there standing alone with such a pretty blade in her hand. She could only wonder how much such sword would cost. And he gave it away without second thought. After a few minutes, Aura approached with the beasts from before. This time, while on the beasts, she held onto the sword more tightly.

Ainz reached the front of his room, he sighed internally in relief. During their talk, Ainz had a kind-of fatherly feeling. He could not describe it, yet it was there.

He had been at least able to get her to take the weapon. Now all that was left was her training and gaining levels. Although, there was still a chance that she wouldn't be able to defeat monsters, or more likely wouldn't have the courage to. He would have to take Cocytus' advice of this matter.

Now, that all was done for the moment, he decided to use the Nazarick monsters' fragments to gain new skills and such. He went to the 7th floor thinking of using the summoned monsters there. He was especially curious if Guren could provide him with new shield unlocks..

**The Next Day**

Ainz teleported over to the 6th floor Colosseum. Cocytus and Raphtalia had already arrived. She was perplexed seeing such a monster and was trying to distance herself from Cocytus. Cocytus bowed respectfully whereas Raphtalia did not move an inch. This resulted in Cocytus releasing a little of his killing intent.

"Bow. Down. Befor..."

"It is fine Cocytus. There is no need for that."

The murderous intent that filled the air completely vanished within an instant.

"For now. Raphtalia, are you ready?"

"Y-yes."

"I see-Create low tier undead"

As he said that a zombie type undead appeared in front of Raphtalia. He gave mental instructions to it and then spoke in a rigid manner.

"Strike it Raphtalia!"

"B-b-but..."

"Strike it!"

"B-b-but. I ca-can't"

"Do it. Or was your resolution yesterday just for show."

"B-but. It, I-I'm scared."

"Do it."

"..."

When Ainz had questioned Cocytus earlier what to do on this matter, his response was simple. He had said that if a warrior is unable to steel themselves, then it would not be possible to fight. Resolve in such a situation could only be made by forcing an inescapable situation where their determination is tested.

Raphtalia pondered darkly for a few seconds before taking the sword out the out of its sheath. The blade was still heavy and she did not know anything about swordsmanship techniques. She held the hilt with both hands and the silver blade facing the front. She gathered her courage and determination was reflected in her brown-red eyes. Her previously drooping tail was now completely straight.

Even with her body shivering, she closed her eyes and lunched forward. The tip of the blade peirced the zombie's chest. The zombie grunted in response yet was still unmoving. It did not show any hostility.

"Good. Again. Do it until you defeat it."

She did not hesitate this time. She took the blade out of it's body and pierced the abdomen of the zombie. She repeated this action many a times, sometimes attacking the lungs, arms, etc. It looked as if she was venting up both, her anger and nervousness on it. The movements were crude at best, but still managed to deal damage. At last, the blade struck the neck of the the undead and went out through its scruff.

The zombie grunted one last time as its body slowly withered away and became ashes. As the undead disappeared, the blade was left hanging in the air as Raphtalia's small figure was panting heavily.

"Good. Job. You. Have. Determination. Work. Hard."

"Y-yes"

Her eyes had resolve previously missing and her trembling stopped. She no longer seemed to afraid of neither Ainz nor Cocytus. Nervousness and distrust were of course still present but fear did not appear to be one of them.

Ainz reached out his hand and placed it on her head. She had a warm-hearted feeling. She seemed bewildered yet managed to get a small smile on her face.

"Good work. Now, Cocytu.."

Cocytus seemed somewhat different. He was looking at Ainz patting Raphtalia's head and was wildly releasing his cold breath. Ainz had a bad feeling about it. He was about to interrogate but decided against it.

"Uhm. Cocytus. I will, be going to check on the demi-humans. Be sure to train her well."

"Yes. Ainz-sama."

"Hmm. I will be going then."

As Ainz teleported away, Raphtalia again held her blade in both her hands and went to her knees. Cocytus took out one of his spare blades and urged her to stand up. She did as instructed and her training followed.

*********

Raphtalia had her sword tightly gripped in her right hand. She swung the sword in a horizontal arc. Her breath expelled as she did so. As the the sword swung 180 degrees, she wasn't able to contain the flow and lost her balance. She fell down on her back. She lost her grip and the sword was sent flying some distance away.

"That. Is. Enough. For. Today. Good. Work. We. Will. Continue. Tomorrow."

"Hah hah, Yes."

Droplets of sweat flowed down her reddened cheeks and she was panting heavily. She wiped away the sweat with her arm. She had been training for almost 90 minutes now.

Given, that she was still small and didn't have much strength, it was difficult for her to contain the inertia of her blows. She had barely managed to control around 1 in 10 swings of her sword. Still, these were the first 90 minutes of her training in her entirety. Considering that, she was doing fairly well in adapting to the balance of her blade and its techniques.

She picked her sword, wiped away the dirt and stored it in its sheath. She hanged the sheath on her back. It was originally supposed to go on her waist, but the notion was rejected for now because of her height.

As the training ended, Aura too came into the grounds. She had been observing her training since the starting. She stood beside Raphtalia with almost the same height. She seemed pleased with the results of their session.

"Sensei, Aura-sama, who is master?"

Cocytus had insisted that she call him sensei as he was technically her teacher. And she was referring to Ainz as master.

"Ainz-sama is the ruler of Nazarick. He is the one responsible for gathering and ruling the other supreme beings. Truly, he is our highest and most exalted master."

"It. Is. As. Aura. Says. He. Is. One. Who. Is. Mightier. Than. All. The. Guardians. And. Deserving. Of. The. Title. Of. The. Supreme. Overlord. Of. The. Great. Underground. Tomb. Of. Nazarick

"I-I see." The replies were immediate and heartfelt. She was a little taken back by them that they thought so highly so their master. She remembered her old master in her mind. Even the thought of it made her shudder.

Aura seemed to have noticed that and added onto her answer.

"Ainz-sama is a gentle and merciful leader whose intellect knows no bounds. But those humans have dared to intrude his plans and then even had the audacity to go against him."

Cocytus was nodding beside her. She herself was thinking about how great a ruler he must be to reveive such respect from his subordinates. But now she had one another doubt.

"Umm? What did the humans do?"

"Those deplorable humans had the impertinence to summon the entire Nazarick to this world with Ainz-sama as something like a hero."

"Then. Even. Arranged. To. Sully. His. Great. Name. That. Is. Absolutely. Unforgivable."

She heard those words but got stuck on a single one.

"Eh? Hero? What did you mean?"

"Since arriving to this world Ainz-sama had received the title of the Shield Hero."

At that her eyes went wide and began sparkling. She recalled her time with her parents and their talk about the legendary heroes. The guardians were completely oblivious to the thoughts in her mind.

"Like one of the legendary heroes."

"I guess."

"You. Have. To. Become. Strong. Enough. To. Be. Worthy. Of. Nazarick. And. Ainz-sama's. Kindness. That. He. Took. You. Under. His. Supervision. That. Could. Indicate. His. High. Hopes. For. You."

"Y-yes. I will try my best."

She wasn't sure whether to be happy about that or not. But what she did know was that she needed to work hard.

*********

And as such a week passed with Raphtalia training to become stronger. She had been unconsciously gathering trust and respect for Ainz and others in Nazarick. Her eyes became bolder day by day until a strength unbecoming of her age and her petite figure was seen in her eyes. Her level had not risen up but she had gotten plenty of experience in using her sword.

She had also learned two magic spells impulsively. She could not use the magic more than once at a time because of her extremely small mana pool. The abilities of her sword were able inaccessible because of the same reason.

She still hadn't fought any monsters for real, and she wasn't sure herself if she would be able to act when the time comes. But all she could do was reassure herself that it would be fine.

As for the other demi-humans, their level too hadn't risen in the least as there were no monsters from whom they gained exp. They were not yet made to kill any monsters outside of Nazarick as it had been decided that all that would be done after the queen's visit was done.

And the time for that had finally arrived. The time for queen's visit had arrived.


	7. Chapter-7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the story seems to have become a little complicated and a few people told me that Raphtalia's parents were killed by monsters. About that,
> 
> It might have been my mistake in keeping it very subtle in chapter-3, so for those who are confused...There are a total of only 3 waves. And none have stricken yet..
> 
> The topography of the world may be a little different like you see here, the forest extends until the border( Not covering everything, i mean a little thin and thick at places). I am not sure how it is in the real canon..
> 
> Hope you enjoy this.

* * *

"Is that what the king has done?"

"Yes. Although I speculate that Princess Malty has a major role in this."

"I see. So did he provide us with a specific time or deadline?"

"No, all he said was as early as possible."

"Hah! Then it can't be helped. Just what have you done?'

"Your majesty, will you be taking Princess Melty?"

"This time, I, don't think I can. If he really is like what you described, then leaving her here is the safest option. Do not inform her of the circumstances right now."

"Yes"

With that the figure outside the window went away. Inside a well furnished room, the queen of Melromarc, Mirellia Q. Merlormarc was left along with her servants.

She was wearing a purple royal gown that was being adjusted in the back by her servants. She had beautiful long purple hair ties in a bob.

The one she was just talking to was one of the shadows under her direct control. The shadow was in the castle town to keep tabs on the actions of the king and her first daughter. But what she had been reported with, could only be said to be devastating.

The country of Melromarc had been in war with the neighbouring country Siltvelt for a long time. Melromarc practiced human-supremacy whereas Siltvelt was the opposite. This war had been temporarily resolved because of many reasons, but the most important one was the establishment of a demi-human protected village.

But a few weeks ago, the village was destroyed completely by the knights under the king. This had greatly angered Siltvelt and they would have been preparing for war if not for the waves.

And now, all the four heroes were summoned by the king's order without her consent. It was earlier decided that each of the major countries would summon one hero each. As the agreement were breached, the other countries did not react happily. The relationship between them had been strained to no end because of this.

And now, there was the news of the discrimination and false charges against the shield hero. As a country that literally worships the shield hero, Siltvelt would not just sit back after all this. If this continued, war was inevitable. In the midst of war and the waves, the chances of survival of the country were slim to none. This was true for Siltvelt as well, especially considering they did not have any of the heroes for their protection.

And then there was the matter of her first daughter, Malty. She would be lying if she said she did not know that Malty was the one behind the king's foolish actions. She was most likely colluding the church. Malty had been pampered by her father to no limits since her birth. She had similar cunning to Mirellia herself, but she used it for nothing except others' misery and her own gains. No matter what was tried, Malty did not get on the right track.

The queen always knew in her heart that this would happen someday and now it did. Her actions brought out the worst possible outcome. She had angered a great ruler. According to the shadow, the shield hero, one of the summoned cardinal hero and the one aggrieved was "The Ruler Of Death". He was described as more terrifying than the waves.

But there was one chance left to make things right, but it would not come at a small price. She had been invited to have an audience with the shield hero. All that could be done was to apologize and expiate for all the wrongdoings. The compensation would not be small and in the worst case, the lives of her daughter and her husband were as good as forgotten. There was also a chance that they would not be forgiven.

She grabbed her head in frustration. The king had ignored all her messengers and letters regarding the unfolding events and now it had come to this. There was no choice left but to leave the country's affairs for now and head to meet the shield hero.

With every passing second, the country's demise was coming closer.

* * *

In the throne room of Nazarick, many figures were present. On the throne was sitting Ainz Ooal Gown. He maintained a calm and dignified appearance. But his mind was in overdrive. He was thinking how to progress with the plan.

The main plan had to be changed the moment the queen's visit was decided. That was because it was unexpected that the woman whom they talked with was a servant of the queen.

Now, today was the day the queen of Melromarc was coming to visit. He had asked Demiurge for the details of plan many times but the information that Demiurge gave was vague at best. He was told about the many paths that could be taken during the talks but their merits and demerits were not described. More so, the final decision had been left up to him. Demiurge was surely thinking that if it is Ainz, whatever path chosen, would be the correct one.

As he was ruminating about all this, the others in the room were extremely silent. To the left side of the throne were the Guardian Overseer Albedo and Shalltear Bloodfallen. Whereas on the left side were Cocytus, Demiurge and Pandora's Actor.

In front of the throne on both sides, sat two enormous dragons from the 6th floor. They were both level 90 NPCs under Mare. They were both facing each other forming a path in between. Ahead of the dragons, were Entoma, Solution, Shizu and Narberal in their maid uniforms.

Ainz got a message from Yuri that the guests have arrived at the edge of the forest.

"Shalltear, open the gate to the designated destination." Pandora's Actor had deactivated the anti-teleportation within Nazarick for today.

"Understood, Ainz-sama"

* * *

"Your majesty, we are just about to reach the edge of the forest."

Just some distance from the forest near the capital, one carriage was running through the grass. The carriage looked luxurious and was being pulled by two filolials. Normally there would be a flag of Melromarc too, but today as she was travelling in secret the flag had been removed.

The carriage was escorted by 5 knights on horses. The knights were not wearing their normal metal armor but leather ones. This too was done to capture less attention. Most of her forces had been left back with her daughter.

The queen was wearing her usual purple royal robe. She had been travelling for the past day to meet the shield hero. Breaks were only taken when the filolials were too tired to continue.

They arrived at the edge of the forest where they were supposed to go. As she got out of the carriage, she saw two beautiful maids standing there.

One had pale skin with black hair tied in cropped bun with glasses. She had something like green gauntlets on her hands. The other had brown skin with bright red hair tied in two braids. Their maid uniforms were of high quality and had metal plating at places. She wondered if they were suited for battle.

Some of the knights were staring at them and that could be considered rude. Thankfully the maid's words brought them to senses.

"Greetings and Welcome, your majesty Mirellia Q. Melromarc. My name is Yuri Alpha and I am here to welcome you. Beside me is my companion Lupusregina Beta."

"Thank you for going through the trouble. I am grateful to you for receiving us."

_They handle themselves with utmost dignity and etiquette. Even more so than our experienced servants._

"Yes. Please come this way. There is no need to be worry about monsters and such, so please be at ease."

With that the maid with black hair, Yuri Alpha turned around while the other gave side to pass. The queen followed by the knights followed behind her. Lupusregina started behind them as the last knight passed.

After walking for about two minutes, they reached a shed about 2 stories tall. Mirellia wondered if this was the shed described by the shadow.

Yuri moved her hand towards her ears and said something. After that the doors to the shed opened big red hole within the air appeared. She figured out that this was the teleportation ability described by the shadow.

"Please go ahead."

Anticipation spread within the knights at watching such a thing and being tempted to go through it. Mirellia too was nervous but had to handle herself as the queen.

"Let's go!"

She moved ahead with being followed by the nervous knights.

As they passed through it, they reached a luxurious room. No, calling it luxurious would be an understatement. It was so beautiful that it alone put the castle of Melromarc to shame. The ceiling was high with beautiful chandeliers hanging down. They didn't seem to lighted by fire but magic. The walls were white and black with intricate designs on them.

Inside the room, was only one long table along with chairs surrounding them. This room looked like a dining room.

"Our master is currently making preparations so we apologize on that matter. Your journey must have been tiring, so we ask you take some rest until then."

"Yes, gladly."

She lead the way and sat down on one of the chairs. The chairs were very comfortable and table too was very beautiful. She wondered just who was the shield hero, that he possess such servants and such grand place.

After they sat down two more maids came in. They were very attractive too. They put down glass cups and poured a black liquid in it. Then, they gracefully bowed and left the room.

She was wondering what kind of drink this was. There were bubbles rising from within it and she worried if there was poison present. But denying it right now would be very rude of her. She took the glass in hand. The outside of the cup was cold and wet. She took a sip of the drink.

_Delicious_

The drink was very flavorful with a berry-like taste. It could not be compared to anything she had in her life. By now, she realized that everything here was leagues better than anything she possessed. She wondered if she should have brought an apology gift. But even if she did, what could possibly appeal.

After the drinks were gulped down and their exhaustion was gone, the two maids standing at the sides stepped forward and spoke-

"The preparations are complete. Please continue this way."

The place where they entered from had the same teleportation hole as before. She stood up in a noble way, and the others followed her.

As they passed through, they arrived in front of a massive double-doors. Intricate carvings decorated both sides of the doors; a beautiful goddess on the right and a cruel-looking demon on the left. Countless ominous-looking statues were arrayed around them. It depicted a scene of war between the two and the craftsmanship was just unbelievable.

"Beyond the doors lie the throne room. Ainz-sama is waiting for you within."

_Ainz? That name is different than the one reported to me. I believe the name was Momon. So is this an alias. No, the other name must be an alias._

The maids bowed deeply and stepped back. The massive doors opened without any stimuli. What lied beyond drew many gasps from the knights behind. She herself was so frightened that she wasn't able to draw out any reaction. She just stood there for a moment with her mouth gaping open.

If there was a war such as depicted on the doors, then surely the gods must have lost. Such thoughts were running in her mind while she saw the vast room in front of her.

The previous room could not even touch the bottom of this one. The ceiling was very high and wide whereas the walls were white with gold decorations. On the ceiling hung many chandeliers like before that radiated bright light. Huge flag hung on poles set on the walls. Only one thing would come into mind after seeing it.

'Heavenly'

A crimson carpet ran down the center of the room and the path to the throne was flanked by four beautiful maids and two divine dragons. They faced each other with their heads slightly bent down.

Far ahead was a set of stairs that led to an elevated podium. Beside the throne stood five beings. An impeccable beauty with a godly face and black wings like a fallen angel, a beautiful silver haired girl with pale skin, a bluish white monster that looked like a giant insect, a slender yet vigorous man in a suit with crystal eyes and a long tail, and a human- shaped figure with 3 holes as face and long creepy fingers wearing a weird attire.

And upon the gigantic obsidian throne sat death itself. It was a monster with just bones as its body. Within the eye sockets, blood red points glowed. In its hand was a ominous staff. The staff's appearance was like many snakes coiling together with gemstones in their mouth. It was exactly like described to her, no, it was even more dominating.

This was a being that could be compared to Gods. Demon Gods. Truly, one looking at him would undoubtedly consider him to be the "Ruler of Death". He that even had the dragons and such monsters as servants. No one could compare to such being. The red glows in his eyes seemed to be made of hatred and darkness that would devour everything.

She realized that standing there too long would be rude. She forced her refusing legs to move forward. As she took a few steps, she realized that nobody was following her. She slowly turned around to see the six people behind shivering in fear. Upon seeing the turning queen, they too forced themselves to follow her. Walking with slow and wary steps, they reached some distance away from the stairs.

"Ainz-sama, this is the queen of Melromarc, Mirellia Q. Melromarc, who seeks an audience with you."

The sweet voice of the winged woman beside the throne reached her eyes. Her voice was radiant and matched her demeanor.

The undead being sitting on the throne responded to those words. The jawbones were not moving yet voice was coming out. Then again, there was neither flesh nor muscles. She saw a shield on the left arm of that being and her doubts vanished and she realized that he was indeed the shield hero.

"Queen of Melromarc. I am the master of the Great Underground Tomb Of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown. I am glad that you have taken time out of your schedule to come here."

His voice was deep and hoarse, yet was more normal and humane than expected. She responded-

"No, that at all. You are one of the legendary heroes, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama. How could I have refused this invitation. I am humbly thankful for such a generous welcome."

The one in the suit standing beside the throne got a conflicted expression on his face. It seemed like he felt the urge to say something, nonetheless Ainz Ooal Gown continued speaking...

"I hope that was to your liking. Also there is no need for such formalities. Just calling me Ainz would suffice."

"If you say so, Ainz-sama. First of all, allow me to apologize on behalf the king, the princess, and inadvertently my country for they have disrespected you. I humbly aspire for your forgiveness on the matter. Truly, I am disgraced."

"There is no apology required for that as I believe that because of my anger, many of your country's higher ups perished. For that I apologize... However, the matter I am truly furious about, is that my home, this tomb was insulted without any apparent reason. And in the way, my friends and comrades were disrespected as well. That matter could not be solved with a simple apology."

_That's true but at the same time, he didn't kill the king and the princess along with the heroes. Was this done to gain another advantage during this discussion. Just how far has he thought this out._

"I understand that and am completely ready to make do everything in my power to make amends. The actions that the king and my daughter were based on their personal desires and grudges. That is unacceptable and there is a need for them to be punished of their crimes. Trying to conspire one of the legendary heroes is a grave sin in itself."

"That won't be necessary."

"Huh?"

"Instead of punishing them now, I believe it will be beneficial to wait for now. I am sure you realize that they are not the only ones involved in this."

_He knows that I am at a disadvantageous position and cannot deny his even knows about the third-party intervention. The more I try to struggle, the more I will get stuck in his webs. There is nothing else to do but comply to whatever he desires._

"I do possess information about the matter."

"Then that is good. What do you think shall be done?"

"I believe that for now, waiting as you said, would be the best course of action."

She had never had such unfavorable conditions in a delegation. She couldn't get a read on him. The lack of facial features made it all the more difficult.

"Let me ask you one thing, has the king and the princess been informed of this matter?"

"Not at the moment. I had thought that the culprits should be brought but as the invitation did not extend to anyone else, I deemed it would be rude."

_Why did he ask about them? What has that got to do with this.?_

"Hmm. I guess that is fine. Now, as for the repercussion. I have only five demands.

First, this entire forest be labelled as a prohibited area for all without my consent. All those who enter shall not leave alive, no matter who they are.

Second, the king and the princess' punishment shall be chosen by me when the time comes without objection. I believe that is fair. I promise that they shall not be given death.

Third, I lack information about this world and many of this shield's features. I am sure that you must possess at least some information regarding the matters. I hope you would share it with me.

Fourth, I am willing to save this world, but I hope you don't misunderstand. I have to protect this world to protect those I hold dear and this place. If the other heroes try to obstruct with my work in any way, they shall not be given an easy death.

And at last, you may not directly imply the fourth demand. You may covertly change the paths of the heroes, however if they specifically try to come at me, you are forbidden from taking actions.

I hope that there is no problem with these demands."

The last line said was not a confirmation but a declaration.

Out of all the demands, the last one was the worst there could be. This meant the heroes were ultimately at his mercy.

However, this was currently the best thing that could happen. War would be prevented nonetheless and this could be seeds for a future relationship with the shield hero and Nazarick. A harsh yet concrete relation. Rejection of the demands was out of the question.

But she had to ensure the heroes' safety.

"I believe that those demands are acceptable. The provision of information was one of our initial responsibilities and we failed at it. So if it's fine, I may tell you the information now."

"Ah, Please go ahead"

"The three waves as you may know come with a gap of one month in between, with each wave stronger than the previous one. When the wave starts, all the heroes are teleported to the location of the waves. You have the party option on your status screen..." The explanation went on as she described various functions of the legendary weapons and the waves.

"That is all."

"I see, your explanation is most appreciated. I was not informed about most of these."

"It was my duty. But, now that all is said and done, I hope you will comply with one of our requests too."

"Who do you take us for. Ainz-sama, it is not appropriate for such inferior species to talk in such a way to yourself." The one in the suit intervened and started saying something

"Kne-" But was interrupted.

"Demiurge. Stop it. That's enough"

"Yes. Understood"

"I apologize for my subordinate's rude display. Please go ahead."

"Yes. I understand that you are only willing to fend off the waves to protect your own. But I hope that you do not bring harm to the heroes. I say that, because heroes are meant to protect against the waves and even if one of them is missing, then the power of the waves rise exponentially. This could end up making the waves difficult for you too."

"Hmm!? It raises the power of the waves. That might be a problem. Understood, I will make sure that they don't die."

"Thank you."

"Then, now that all the matters are resolved. You have come this far leaving your important work to meet up with me. I suppose you would be tired from your troubles. To send you back as such is rude on our part. As you are already here, why not spend the night here? I shall prepare a warm welcome for you."

_Huh, staying here might be a good idea as there are many dangerous monsters roaming along the way. But, there is no telling what the monsters here would do. So far, he seems to be respectable but it just gives a bad feeling. There is no inn nearby either. Did he take this into consideration too. Just what is the shield hero. We can't stay here. Even the knights can't take it anymore._

"No, there is no need to go through the trouble for that. We shall take our leave."

"I see. Well, it can't be helped. Then, how about one of my subordinates sends you back."

In her mind, she was thinking if he was trying to prevent her from going to the capital. And how will he send her?

_Will the teleportation be used? Or will it be in some other way? I can't owe him any more favors._

"I thank you for the offer, but I must respectfully decline. I believe I should go back in the carriage as I came."

"Very well, Albedo, escort them outside."

"Yes."

The winged woman, Albedo got off the podium and moved ahead of Mirellia. She tempted them to follow her outside the throne room. Seeing her closer, Mirellia could not stop herself from admiring her beauty.

She tried to move forward, but her legs were shaking uncontrollably. Whether she was relieved that the country was saved, frightened of what would happen to her family or terrified of the monsters in there. Perhaps it was all three, but it took all she had just to remain standing.

She tried to force her legs but they refused to move.

"You do not look so well. Are you sure that you don't want to stay the night?"

"Y-yes. Its fine."

_Just a little more._

She steeled herself again and moved ahead. The knights too followed behind her. She really was a great leader who was followed by the people. Her moving in such conditions gave strength to the knights to continue.

As the giant door opened, the same teleportation spell was again present. They all passed through it and reached the place where the carriage was waiting.

"I wish you a safe journey."

"Thank you so much."

Albedo went back through the gate and Mirellia along with the knights were left standing there. She quickly moved to the carriage and went inside.

All the strength left her body and she slumped on the seats. Her trembling had not yet stopped. She had been sweating profusely in there. She didn't move her body for while and let it calm down.

Her thoughts were running rampant on just the thought of the dreadful aura the monsters were releasing. Those terrifying monsters she had never even heard of kneeling in front of death. It was truly a horror.

The knights conditions weren't that good either. Two of them had fainted as soon as the adrenaline left their body. They didn't, or weren't able to continue travelling for the next 10 minutes.

Later on, she fell sick with high fever.

She was truly thankful that she didn't choose to take Melty along with her.

On the other hand, her anger for the king and Malty held no bounds. Even though she loved them with all her heart, her frustration was completely justified. She wanted to reprimand them and punish them, especially Malty. The vexation about the church wasn't small either.

The only thing holding her back was the words of the shield hero. If she took any actions now, it would mean disaster. There was no way to know their complete potential strength, but one thing was clear as a crystal. That going against that cunning and powerful being, a being that possibly rivaled the gods, the shield hero, would be utter foolishness.

As her mind was stuck in a furry of emotions, in many parts of the country, the tales of the devil of the shield were spreading.

* * *

In a certain room in a certain village, five silhouettes could be seen. They were the Spear Hero, Motoyasu's party. Standing in front of them were two shadows, the corps directly under the queen's rule.

"W-what is this irreverence... Why is the whole forest prohibited. The forest literally covers area from the capital to the border."

The one speaking was Malty Q. Melromarc, a party member of the spear hero. She held a scroll in her hand given by the shadows. It was a direct royal decree from her mother, the queen. This meant that the order was absolute and resisting the order could get even her in trouble.

"I believe you understand that this is an emergency edict. Hence, from today, this moment on, the entry to the great forest is forbidden without the personal permission from the queen. Any found out trying to do so shall be rightfully punished by the queen herself.

"What is the meaning of this? How are we supposed to gain levels then. You know that most of the high level monsters are present in the forest only."

"We understand your problems but this order is absolute."

"At least tell us the reason behind it."

"Forgive us but we cannot do so. Now, our work here is done and we shall take our leave. Please excuse us."

The two shadows slightly bowed and left the room.

"That's unbelievable. Now we will have to level up without defeating the forest's monsters. Hey Myne, is there no way to enter the forest now?"

"Motoyasu-sama, there's no need to worry. I am sure mama would give us, the spear hero's party permission to enter the forest."

Malty's smile on the outside was kind and caring, while on the inside there was a devilish grin.


	8. Chapter-8

It was midnight and a carriage was passing through the village of Lafan. It was a normal carriage used by adventurers to travel. However, what was unusal was that instead of filolials, two dragons were pulling it. The dragons could still never be compared to those larger, flying dragons in a lifetime.

The village that the carriage was passing through could be described as primitive at best. The houses were made of bricks and the main source of income for the people was agriculure and trade. The best building present in the village was the only inn in the village.

The carriage stopped at the backside of the inn, where the stables were present. Three people stepped out of it. They were the revered spear hero's party. The party consisted of two women with the only man being the spear hero, Motoyasu Kitamura. They left the dragons to the caretakers present and went into the building.

The inside of the building wasn't very special but still was better than the others. The party arrived at the reception. The floor was wooden and the walls' rusty-brown color gave a very classy feeling to the interior. Upon seeing the receptionist, who was a pretty girl in her mid-twenties, Motoyasu left his party behind and ran up to the reception.

"Hello! We would like to have two rooms please. I am Motoyasu Kitamura. And you?"

The girl with black hair and blue eyes got flustered upon hearing the name. She replied hastily-

"Umm. Motoyasu, and the spear on your back. Are you the spear hero?"

"That's right"

"Uwaa. Spear Hero, y-you are welcome. Its our utmost honor to have you here."

"So, you are pretty beautiful. Would you like to go on a date?"

The gir's facel turned bright red until her ears. She couldn't muster up a reply. But before she could even open her mouth, a voice interrupted the two.

"Motoyasu-sama, I believe we should go up and rest up so that we could perform to our utmost best tomorrow." *Bitch entry*

"..."

It was Malty Q. Melromarc or simply Myne as an adventurer. Upon hearing, Motoyasu made a disappointed face yet did not complain. He took out 2 silver coins from his pouch and handed them to the receptionist. She accepted them, still flustered, and stored them in the cabinet below. She handed them two keys and described the location of the rooms.

As they both turned around, the receptionist's voice called out to them. It was a timid and nervous voice yet had an interrogating tone.

"Umm? Spear hero, are you going to head to the forest tomorrow?"

"Yes, that's right. There are pretty nice monsters there. We could gain good amount of exp. and loot."

"But wasn't the whole forest area prohibited for all. I heard it was the same for everyone."

"Yes. But Myne here, got permission from the queen."

"I see. Please stay safe, Spear Hero. Good luck on your travels."

They all retired to the rooms in preparation for what awaited them tomorrow.

* * *

Morning had struck and Motoyasu's party was moving towards the 'Forbidden Forest' as it came to be known. They had left the carriage back in the village they had stayed last night. They chattered away their thoughts as they walked for an hour until the forest was barely 50 feet away.

They continued on the rugged path but were stopped by a strangely familiar voice.

"Malty-sama, I suppose you should not go any further."

"Huh!"

They all turned around in surprise to see two shadows kneeling behind them. They were wearing the exact same robe as they had worn before.

"Wh-what is the meaning of this?" Myne's tone showed that she was completely taken aback.

"We believe that you have been already informed of the new edict."

"But, we weren't gonna go deep in the forest."

"That does not matter. The rule clearly states that entry is allowed to none. You are no exception."

"Myne, did you not get the permission?" Motoyasu was confused too.

"Of course I have. I am the princess. We are going in there by my authority."

"Your authority does not overrule the queen's. From the previous village, after solving the problem of famine, you could have just headed west instead, yet here you are."

"That's, you know, yes, the monsters in the forest provide much better exp. It will ultimately help the heroes fight against the waves better."

"I am afraid that if you retaliate any more, we will not be able to persuade you any further. So let me ask you, are you still gonna go ahead."

"Y-yes. And anyways why could possibly lead to such a decision by mama?"

"We cannot reveal that to you, but, we could tell you that, a very strong monster is currently present there."

"Then, I can defeat that monster and the forest will be free from the monster. I think that is a good idea."

The spear hero seemed very confident. He was over-confident and ignorant.

"Our work here has been done. Our authority prohibits any action ahead of this. Then, we will be leaving."

The shadows left but the other girl in the party was left unsure about their decision.

"Hey, Myne, it will be fine right?"

She voiced her doubts, but as feared, the princess just brushed it all off with a wave of her hands. She then clung to the arm of Motoyasu with her breasts pressing against them.

"Let's go Motoyasu-sama. Let's defeat that monster."

"Yes, leave it to me."

As such ignoring all the warnings, the first step in the jungle was taken.

* * *

Ainz was heading opposite the direction of Nazaick. It had been 2 days since the talks with the queen of Melromarc. Those two days were spared before exploring the surface for the new order to take effect. Also, the whole forest was completely under the surveillance of Nazarick. Many monsters were discovered that would be considered strong for this world.

Ainz's party currently had three members including himself. Those were Raphtalia and Lupusregina who were currently with him. It turned out that the party invites worked the same with those of Nazarick.

Right now, they were heading towards the place where the balloon monsters were present. This would be a test for Raphtalia to see how she would fare against hostile monsters. Faring against blood would be after that.

Raphtalia wasn't wearing any armor because she couldn't bear its weight along with the sword. She was just walking in a black skirt and white t-shirt provided from Nazarick. Her level wasn't high enough to use any of the sword skills either.

They were walking until the orange balloons came within the vicinity. They got aggressive and three balloons came jumping at them. Raphtalia quickly drew her blade and made a horizontal single strike from the right. The blade cleanly slit two of them in half. One of them slipped away with just touching the side of it. It opened its jaws wide desiring to bite her head.

She was not yet able to make consecutive strikes and lost her balance after the first one many a times. This time too, her feet and body weren't able to keep themselves stable. But the training Raphtalia did was not just swinging her sword once, but to fill the gaps in her technique.

She turned her entire body in the direction it was falling and amended her footing. Because of this, the balloon monster's aim missed and bit empty air. Her right hand left the hilt of the sword and she made a strike with one hand that sliced through the monster.

The way she used a sword was the same way a schythe is swung. Making use of the inertia of the strikes to make the next blow. This would later develop into a more controlled sword-style.

Anyways, as the three monsters died, Raphtalia along with Ainz received 15 and 12 exp. respectively. The party was formed of the three members present.

"Lupusregina, did you gain exp.?"

"No, I'm sorry Ainz-sama but I do not see any exp. gain."

"I see. Then this means that the exp. gained here in this world are only limited to people of this world. Me, who gained the levels of the shield hero of this world similarly have access to such."

"Then, that means-"

"Yeah, Nazarick's denizens cannot gain any more levels."

Ainz head patted Raphtalia. Her tail began swinging around in excitement. Apparently, she really liked it when Ainz did so.

"Good work, Raphtalia. Get even stronger from now on."

"Yes, master."

Over the course of past ten days, the training with Cocytus, the friendly and energetic behavior of Aura, and the guidance and friendship with Ainz had slowly changed her personality. She was now not scared as much as before, she no longer apologized at every single thing and her eyes radiated the feelings of confidence. Although trust was still building up and her timid self was still present deep inside, all this was a huge advancement.

They went killing a few more balloon monsters here and there and after so long, Raphtalia reached level-2. The queen had told him about the party system.

On killing a monster, all the party members gained the same amount of exp and then there was the bonus exp. That bonus was divided among the various member depending on the damage they did.

From the start Ainz had done no damage so he gained the minimum exp. Whereas Raphtalia had gained bonus exp. all the times. So, she levelled up earlier than him. Lupusregina as expected, did not gain any exp.

Not long after this, Ainz got a message from Albedo.

"What is the matter, Albedo."

"Ainz-sama, three people have entered from the west side of the forest."

"Three people, huh. You are contacting me. Does that mean one of them is a hero?"

"Yes, it is the spear hero. That despicable girl there with him too. May I have the permission to kill her."

"N-No."

_Yare Yare Daze(Good grief). Are they that anxious to get themselves killed. Even after an order to make the forest What shall I do?_ _What about we make them slaves to Nazarick? No, not right now or again that will diverge from the plan and a new one would have to be made. We have to confirm the powers of the waves before too. If they turn out stronger than expected then he might be important for protection.._ _. I can't reveal my or Nazarick's identity either._

"Do not let them escape. Instill fear in them. Do it in any way you seem fit"

Capture the hero and that girl. Then, how about we, no, give them a tour of Nazarick's worst five. Tell those five, especially, Kyouhukou to go easy on them, such that there limbs are still attached to their bodies and they could be healed using a potion. MAKE absolutely sure that they do not see even an inch of Nazarick besides those five's room. Not an inch, be it anyone from Nazarick or the places themselves.

As for the one remaining human, capture them, but do not torture them. I will take care of them."

"Understood, Ainz-sama."

With that the message cut off. Beside him, Lupusregina called out to him.

"Is something the matter, Ainz-sama."

"Yes, it seems we have got unwanted visitors. Come, Raphtalia, Lupusregina, we are heading back until the problem is solved."

"Yes" They both said in unison.

* * *

"Hey, hey, isn't it too quiet?"

"Yes, now that you mention it..."

"Motoyasu-sama, maybe the monsters are scared of you."

"Haha, that may be true."

They began their usual flirting. No one could tell they were walking in a forest filled with deadly monsters. Their mannerism was like one would take while walking on beaches.

Their guard was completely down and they did not notice that as they went deeper into the forest, the darker it became. Well not everyone, the member not involved in the flirting was still paying close attention. But, the lovebirds just ignored her.

"Motoyasu-sama! The surroundings are getting darker! I think we should head back! Its not safe here." Motoyasu was brought out of his own world by the third wheel.

"Huh"

Darkness now spread at a pace unlike before The previous white light was fading away at an alarming rate. It was as if it was being sucked away by darkness. Then, their vision slowly became distorted. The already barely visible trees seem to bend at awkward angles. It was as if light itself was kneeling in front of eternal darkness.

"Motoyasu-sama! Help me..." Myne leaned at the back of Motoyasu who was on alert with his spear ready.

"Everyone, stay behind me."

Motoyasu was close yet his voice seemed to come from far away. Darkness engulfed everything. All she could see was Motoyasu's back in front of her. She could hear the faint rustling of leather and armor and deep breathing. She was sweating profusely.

A faint voice of footsteps came from behind her. Upon noticing that, Motoyasu turned around in a furry and her face dug deep in his chest. It would have looked like a sweet moment if not for the situtation.

Suddenly all sounds stopped. It looked as if time stopped. Nobody moved and Myne felt a murderous gaze at her back. She had never felt such a pressure ever before. She would have fainted if she wasn't in Motoyasu's hold. She immediately turned around to see nothing. There was nothing that gave off hostility. All was black and the pressure vansihed within a second.

She felt a bad premonition. Turning around in a furry, she saw that Motoyasu was no longer there.

"Motoyasu-sama! Motoyasu-sama! W-where did you go? This is not the time for jokes." She started moving around recklessly.

"Zweit fire ball" As she said that, her hands glowed faintly and a huge ball of fire appeared above her. Nobody in the team had light magic and this was the only way to get vision for a limited time.

_Zwoosh._ The ball of fire vanished as if not there in the first place.

"M-Motoyasu-sama! Hel..." Something hard hit the back of her skull. She didn't even have time to react. She fell down with a thump and the culprit slowly walked towards her.

As the footsteps slowly approached, she tried to get up but all the strength in her body, was missing. It was like the last attack drained her of everything.

The crunching sound of branches and dead leaves being crushed as they were stepped on filled her with the urge to run away as fast as she could. She tried and tried but could not move anything except her eyes.

The person moved his feet in front of her eyes and helpless body as if teasing her. Her eyes widened so much that her eyes bulged. The person had the same boots as Motoyasu. She was too scared to confirm yet she had to do it.

She slowly moved her eyes upwards. The person had the same body style, armor and weapon as him.

"Motoyasu-sama?"

Her voice was nothing more than a mumble. Nobody except her could have heard it. In her mind she absolutely wanted to deny the conclusion she reached. She wanted to scream how this man could not use her and throw away. It was her who used others and not the opposite. That was not right.

However, her hopes were shattered as she took a peek at the face of the person in front of her. Motoyasu's face was distorted in a wide grin and he seemed to enjoy her reaction. The face was exactly the same she made once. The face that took joy in trampling others.

Intense sleepiness hit her. She could not even move her eyes anymore. The eyelids slowly shut away.

_That's completely unfair..._ She cried in her mind as her consciousness went away.

* * *

Her eyes suddenly shot open.

_Dark_

She was in a small room somewhere. A ceiling appeared that had a stone emitting light. She tried to jerk her head in other directions but she could not. Her head and her body were rendered completely immobile. Her body was hanging on the wall, almost as if crucified. Her hands and legs so tightly wrapped that she could not even feel them.

She moved her eyes frantically looking for someone to help. She moved her eyesight down and saw her bare breasts. The faint sensation of air against her body made her realize that she was naked.

These circumstances made her shiver in fear. She desperately cried for help but what escaped her throat was a pitiful scream.

"Aran- Aran-So you're awake."

"Eeeeeeekkk!"

It was a garbled voice. A horrific monster she had never even heard in stories showed up in front of her. It was a monster with a terrible appearance. Its head looked like a deformed squid and six long tentacles descended from the mouth till its thighs. The rest of the body looked like a swollen human. Its hand sprouted four webbed fingers and had long nails that were adorned with nail polish. Its cloudy and pupil-less eyes looked all over her face.

"Hey, you know its offensive to shout like that in front of a beautiful lady like myself. But well, ufufu, I shall forgive you. So did you sleep well?"

"hahhh hahhh hahhh"

Her breathing was rugged and terror filled her.

"Save me! Save me! Leave me alone!"

"Now, aren't you noisy. If you are asking for your friend with the spear, he is with Kyouhukou. Don't worry you will see him soon, Kyouhukou that is. For now, let us enjoy ourselves"

Despair spread across her face. She trembled as the monster's eyes ran the course of her body head to toes. She had teary eyes and was randomly spouting cries for help.

"Well, we are not given much time for today, so we won't have much fun."

"Noo! Saveee me!"

"Ufufufu. In order to show my respect, we shall begin with these."

"Show respect to wha-"

Her words stopped in her mouth and throat seemed to run dry. Her body trembled uncontrollably as tears fell from her eyes.

The monster, out of nowhere had produced three rods between its four fingers. One of them was slender with a five-millimeter long section at its tip with spikes. The other two rods were similar in length but not in diameter.

The monster started moving closer to her. The less the distance remained between them, the more the fear and terror in her increased.

"NOO! NOOOOO! SPAREEE MEE! PLEASE! NOOOOO! NOOOO! AHHHHHHH! AHHHH! IT HURTSS! STOP IT! NOOOOOOOO!"

And as such, the room was filled with Malty's cries of agony.

* * *

Ainz was currently in the forest on sixth floor. He looked at the unconscious human in front of him. He had told Lupusregina to take Raphtalia to her room in the fortress made by Mare.

With him were the twin guardians of this floor. Aura, two of whose beasts were currently surrounding the girl in front of him. Mare stood beside Ainz with his staff and the world item given to him.

The world item was called "Avarice and Generosity". The gauntlet called Avarice had the ability to store the experience that the user was usually about to gain. And the gauntlet called Generosity could be used in place of the experience lost under certain conditions, up to the amount that Avarice had taken.

"Mare. Do it."

"Y-yes."

Mare approached the girl and lifted his staff. His eyes showed no remorse or pity for said human. He lifted the staff above his head and smashed the skull of the human. Its shape got deformed and it caved inside.

Mare then slowly stepped back as the others watched in silence.

"Awaken, Avarice. You may feast."

That timid voice of Mare became the cue for the left gauntlet, the one that resembled a demon's hand, to activate. A blue light was pulled out of the body of the girl and flew into said gauntlet. The gaunlet swallowed up the ball.

"Umm. Ainz-sama. It seemed to have successfully absorbed the exp."

"I see. That is good. That is really good. Hahaha..."

Mare and Aura smiled happily seeing their master in such high spirits.

* * *

At a faraway place in room laid the queen of Melromarc. She was currently suffering from fever from stress and many other reasons. She was on her bed in a night gown as she wasn't even able to get up properly.

"Your majesty."

The queen reacted to the voice and looked towards the window grill. A member of the shadow corps was present there as expected.

"What is it?"

"Malty-sama has entered the forest. Since she was so insistent we weren't able to interfere."

"I see. Thank you. Continue the good work."

"Yes" They did not even stay for a complete minute.

"Ah, Malty."

There was no kindness, anger, joy, or hesitation in her words. There was only sadness and pity. Pity for her ignorant daughter and sadness for what was to become of her.


	9. Chapter-9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. I am tired. School is really merciless, just like Demiurge.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this.
> 
> Also story is now caught up and will be updated every 3-6 days

_Eh, where am I... What happened to Malty... Was that just a dream... Is this a dream... It has to be... Malty can't betray me... Aah, but where am I... But still what happened to Malty... But why am I worrying about a dream... It was a dream right?... Right?... Right?..._

"Aaah!" Motoyasu's torso shot up. He sat up straight. His head was hazy as though he just got out of deep slumber .

It felt like he was on a strangely soft yet weird bed. Or was it the floor. He wasn't able to tell. He looked over the surroundings. He saw nothing, only complete darkness. But he could tell that this was not the forest, but some kind of room. There was complete silence except the rustling of, something like shells.

_What a wierd dream that was. I hope that never happens. Well, I guess I will go find Malty. By the way, why is it so dark in the inn room? Even the windows are closed._

He tried to stand up but as his hands applied pressure on the ground, they dug into something. Perhaps immersed would be the right description. He felt those shell like things twitch in place over his hands. That gave him a gross feeling so he quickly retracted his hand.

"Eeek!"

A pitiful and girly scream escaped his throat. There was a roach resting on his hand, unmoving at that. Guess even heroes are helpless against such bugs. He frantically waved has hand and the roach went flying somewhere.

"Gahh"

Once again he was surprised. But that was because suddenly a very bright light like LED had just lit up. Unable to bear the sudden brightness in the dark room, his eyelids closed themselves. The light concentrated at point in the room. He slowly opened his eyelids. What greeted him was a monster straight out of nightmares. This was the worst monster one could imagine. At least that were his thoughts for now. The opinion was bound to change.

"I am but a mere monster that resides in this forest. It is a pleasure to meet you. By the way, Spear hero they call you, yet you are the first to jump in to break the law. Quite contradictory don't you think?"

It was a giant cockroach around 30 centimeters long standing on two feet. It was draped in a grand-looking red cape edged with gold thread, and it wore a tiny gold-gleaming crown on its head. Its forelegs held a pure white scepter set with a gemstone.

"Wh-who are you?"

Motoyasu reached towards the spear on his back but what he felt was countless roaches surrounding said weapon rendering him unable to take it in his hands.

"I just said, didn't I? I am just a monster. Now then, your spear is quite interesting in the matter that it cannot be seperated from you. It clearly recognizes you as its master."

"Where is Myne? Where is this place? Let me go!" He clearly chose to ignore the monster's words and spouted his demands.

"You truly are stupid. One just simply doesn't let go of the prey they catch. And, given, WHAT YOU DI- Uhmm! Excuse me, it seems I got a little emotional. Anyways, you are just as thought to be. In that regards even an animal that lives on its instincts is better. My familiars have grown tired to eating each other so I hope you provide good nourishment."

"Hey. wait, what do you mean by that. I am the spea..."

His words were cut short as he was completely covered in the cockroaches in the room, inside and out.

* * *

On the tenth floor of Nazarick, in the throne room sat Ainz on his massive throne. Ahead of him were all the guardians including Victim, Pandora's Actor and pleiades. They all were kneeling in front of him and had faces full of regret. Demiurge and Albedo especially were very remorseful and were hesitant to even face their master.

"Stand up!" Ainz couldn't bear to see the NPCs in this manner. He didn't even know what the matter was that had caused them act like such.

All in front of him stood up with their heads facing downwards.

"What is the matter?"

"P-please forgive our incompetence. We, even the three greatest minds of Nazarick after you, were unable to judge the actions of that woman. Because of our mistake, you had to change the course of plan. We just weren't able to consider that she would go against the queen's orders in a matriarcy. We beg your forgiveness."

Demiurge went on one knee again. Others followed suit. Seeing all of them like this, Ainz was reminded again just how high he was held in their regards.

For a moment, he felt that this would be the perfect chance to reveal that he was not as smart as they thought. But, he denied that notion as it would be no different than trampling their expectations. But wouldn't that problem just grow the longer he hides it. He was unable to make the decision but in the end just decided to keep his image intact.

"Demiurge, what are you talking about. Don't I always tell you. Anyone is prone to making mistakes, be it me or you. It was my fault too that this happened. What is important is to learn from your mistakes. Now stand up."

"Thank you so much. You are truly kind."

All stood up yet again. Now the main issue was forming a new plan.

The plan was to use the girl to bait out the church. This would also help Ainz himself come into power. He had thought that by not killing the girl, the same plan could still be followed. But it was clear that Demiurge definetly had something else in mind.

"Its fine. Now, I suppose you already know which direction Nazarick will be heading too."

"It is an honor to know a little piece of your plan Ainz-sama ." His devilish smile returned to his face.

"Good work Demiurge. As expected of you. Now, listen to me clearly. Forward this moment, all the future tactics and plans are completely entrusted to Demiurge. Now then, explain your stratagem properly so that everyone present could understand."

Ainz felt a little guilty on pushing everything on Demiurge. But, on the other hand he was relieved that his mistakes won't create any problems for Nazarick anymore. Because of the NPCs misconception, the mistake with Shalltear had already happened. To avoid that, this would be the best choice as Demiurge's plans are very unlikely to have holes in them. He also didn't want to disappoint them by betraying their expectations.

Demiurge for one, trembled head to toe. His master had entrusted him with the future of Nazarick. This was the ultimate proof of his master's trust in him. Now that this was done, any mistakes were intolerable.

His voice trembled with excitement. He struggled to keep the desire to show his happiness under control.

"U-understood. Then, allow me to do so."

Demiurge turned his back towards him and faced the others.

"Ainz-sama's actions up till now were..."

Demiurge explained a new plan. Although the plan was different, what it led to was the same. Except there was one thing that Ainz had to change in the plan.

"Sasuga Demiurge. That plan is wonderful. Although, allow me to change one thing. There won't be only a single party, but two of them."

* * *

"Let me go."

"Huh? I can't hear you. Don't tell me you are so mesmerised by my beauty that you can't find your words. Ufufu."

Motoyasu was currently on the same spot Malty had once been, although he didn't know that. He had been stuck for what felt like eternity. Bouncing like a ball between the five rooms where he was tortured until the monsters were satisfied.

Going from being eaten alive inside out by countless cockroaches to becoming a temporary home for parasites, from being cruelly used as a plaything to having experienced pain in various ways, from being...what was it?... He couldn't remember. He was slowly losing his mind.

All he wanted to do was escape from this hell. All he wanted to do was go back to his party, to Myne. All he wanted was to become a hero and save this world and win the heart of girls. All he wanted to do was escape.

He envied the others. He envied Ren who was free to level up killing monsters and live in his own fantasy world. He envied Itsuki who was free to persue his dream of becoming a hero of justice. He even envied that Momon who earlier had the power to do whatever he wanted, no matter what.

He envied those who lived as they pleased. He envied those who had everything with them. He envied their freedom. He envied their happiness. He envied them. He envied them so bad. He envied them so bad he would do anything to get what they had. He didn't care about anything anyomore.

All he knew was that he was jealous. Jealous of others' success, fame, power, happiness, everthing, yes, he envied eveything. He wanted to steal their happiness from them. Why is it that he is the only one suffering? Why is it only him? Why can't he get what others had? Why can't he be free? Why only he has to be with these horrific monsters? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

He too, wanted Myne to be his own. He too, wanted fame. He too, wanted girls to flock over him. He too, wanted to have anything he wanted. He too, wanted to be loved by others. He too, wanted to fulfill his desires. He too... Wanted to... fulfill his lechery.

**Note- Conditions fulfilled to unlock Envy Series**

**-Envy Series Unlocked-**

**Note- Conditions met to unlock Lust Series**

**-Lust Series Await Activation-**

His vision was blurred and this notification arrived. The surroundings were dyed with ever-changing colors.

_Aah, what is this? Envy? Lust? Aah, I don't care. I just wanna go back. Aah, those fucking lucky bastards. I will kill them. Taking what ought to be mine. Having what I don't. Having what I should have too._

"Oyaa... It seems like our time together is over. I hope you come to visit again. Aah, I almost forgot. I have to give you a parting gift too."

"Huh?"

The monster in front of him produced a very thin and long rod. Its diameter was comparable to the tip of a needle. He immediately understood what that was for. That was worse than a nightmare for him.

"NO! NOO! Stop it! Please! Anything but that! Please! Anything but that! Please"

He didn't have enough strength to even retaliate. He was hardly provided with any nutrition. He could only see the monster approach him and insert the rod.

His throat hurt so much from screaming that it was not able to produce any more sounds. All he could do was clennch his teeth and tighten his muscles as his "Parting Gift" was given to him. The previous days in this hell had made him a little tolerant to pain but it still hurt so much that he would rather die. At the same time he didn't want to die. He wanted to go back, to Myne. He wanted to...

**X-X-X-X**

"Aah. Where am I?"

His whole body hurt. He didn't have any power left within him. He tried to move but couldn't. It felt as if he was being carried somewhere. There were occational bumps like on an offroad track. His head ached every time the carrier hit the back of his head.

He slowly opened hs eyes thinking about the hell that awaited him. But he was not greeted by the sight of the dark ceiling or the big trees in the deep forest. He saw the sun shining brightly upon the blue sky. He was met with the fresh smell of Earth along with cold air trickling on his skin.

"S-spea... o. I'm gl... Outskirts... ungle... ank God... re fine... worse t... oomed."

He was only able to make out pieces of what was being spoken. His ears were ringing loudly and his senses were being weird. He didn't know where he was or where he was being taken. He felt his consciousness fade as he fell into deep sleep.

**X-X-X-X**

In an exquisite room in the castle of Melromarc, the light of the morning sun reached in through the windows. In one corner of the room was a single bed. On it lay Motoyasu, sleeping, as he had been since the past seven days.

Finally it was the time for him to get out of his slumber. His eyelids gradually opened as he made a groaning voice. His limbs still pained a bit but the pain was still bearable. He raised himself and sat up on the bed. He moved his eyes to his hands to see them completely bandaged. His head still ached a little. He brought his hands to his face and just there for a moment.

He noticed that he was wearing the undershirt he wore under his armor.

_Someone might have removed the armor. Thats right. We went into the forest. Is Myne all right..._

He moved his hips a bit in attempt to move but it hurt like hell. He let out a loud groan. The pain was not in his legs or femur but in his crotch. He had a bad premonition as he remembered the words spoken by that monster.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! I will kill you, you monster. To do this to me. I won't forgive you._

Maybe someone had heard him before, and he heard a knock on the door.

"C-come in."

The door shot open and a maid came inside. She had fair skin and blonde hair. She had a worried look on her face.

"Spear hero! Are you alright? You had been sleeping since last week."

"Y-yeah. Leave that aside. Myne! Is Myne safe? Myne went into the forest with me. Is she still there? I have to find her."

The maid felt silent as the emotions went away from her face. After brief silence she responded in a silent tone.

"The princess is safe and has returned. Now, please wait here as I report your well being to the king."

"Ah. I'm glad. Okay."

She turned around and left the room closing the door behind her. Motoyasu was relieved that she was fine.

He slowly went into the washroom clenching his teeth trying not to let out a scream in pain.

After 15 minutes, he heard a knock on the door.

He went to the door and poked his head out. It was the same maid as before.

"Hey, beautiful. What is the matter?"

"The king has requested your presence within an hour. Please proceed there as soon as you can."

"Oh, okay. I will be there. Also, could you please send for a healer and, uh, a, someone to, uh, clean the washroom. There is, uhh, a little, too much, blood."

"U-understood."

**X-X-X-X**

The door to the throne room opened. Ren and Itsuki were present too with contemplating faces. The king sat on his throne. For some reason, upon seeing them, he felt a unexplainable emotion along with an urge to hurt them. He suppressed his unrealistic desires.

Malty was standing behin the king and had a small horizontal scar on her left cheek that looked to be extended from the lips. Her face was pretty nonetheless but she must have been conscious about it as it was supposedly a 'blemish on her perfect face'. There were a few more light marks that seemed to be almost healed.

The minsiters in the room were not many in number considering their numbers were reduced some time before.

He dragged himself in front of the king hiding his pain. He didn't want to reveal his embarassing injury in front of everyone. On seeing Malty, she did not appear to be severly injured but he wasn't able to tell. She was leaning on the throne with a sad expression on her face.

"Myne. I'm glad. I'm glad you are alright. I thought..."

"KEEP QUIET Spear Hero!" The king seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Huh?"

"How dare you betray my daughter."

"HAAH? Betray? What are you talking about?"

"Do you not even remember that? You had dared to leave her and escape the forest alone but also had the audacity to laugh at her. Just how evil are you?"

_Betray? What is he- Did she see the same thing as me? That monster!_

"LAUGH? What are you talking about? On the contrary, I too saw Myne betray me as she hit the back of my head. It has to be the work of a monster. That's right. Its the work of the monster that did this to us."

"Don't you dare say that my daughter backstabbed you. And after she put so much trust in you. First the devil of the shield and now you. Just how rotten could you be.."

_I didn't do it. But, the reason she is saying that must be because of that devil. After she put her trust in me after being betrayed. Anyone will be scared._

"W-wait! Please believe me! I didn't do it. I saw the same thing as Myne. It has to the work of the monster. See, if I escaped both of us wouldn't have been injured."

"Do you really want me to believe that? You left Malty behind and tried to escape but were caught by the same monster. This does not change the fact that you betrayed my daughter. You shall be punished for the same."

"I..."

The double doors of the room thrust open. Many guards entered the room and between them was a lady with long purple hair, wearing a royal gown..

"My Queen!?" "Mama!?"

Everyone present stood up, without exception. She moved ignoring all of them and sat on the throne beside the king. She seemed to be in somewhat of a hurry.

"That is enough. I shall be taking over for today."

"Y-yes! But, what has caused you to come here, my queen?"

"You have alreay caused quite a few problems and I am here to sort them out. I have pardoned the international delegations for this matter and will be leaving as soon as possible.

Let us begin. I suppose introductions are in order. I am the queen of Melromarc, Mirellia Q. Melromarc. I am the rightful monarch of this country. It is a pleasure to meet you, The Cardinal Heroes.

Then, first things first. Spear Hero, what happened to you and Malty was quite unfortunate. But, I suppose Malty is at fault here."

"My queen. What are you saying? This hero betrayed Malty and left her in the monsters' jaws in the forest."

"Is that so. Let's see... Malty?"

"Y-yes, Mama!"

"Did you or did you not meet one of the shadows the day you went into the forest."

"Cheh! Yes, I did."

"What did they tell you?"

"T-they told us to not go into the forest. But, Spear hero then persuaded them to let us proceed claiming that he will kill the monsters in there."

"Then lets ask them ourselves. Come out."

From behind one of the pillars, a shadow revealed herself from hiding.

"Your majesty."

"Descibe the events as they took place."

"Yes. It wasn't the spear hero who insisted on going into the forest. It was the princess. She didn't pay heed to our warnings and convinced her party to continue."

"Sh-she is lying."

"She has no reason to do so. Anyways, setting that matter aside, the forest was forbidden for reasons. But your party decided to proceed anyways. It is the collective responsibilty of every member to make decisions. So, no one but the whole party can be held responsible. Now I have been told that the last member's whereabouts are still unknown, so nothing can be done about that.

Secondly, no one in the party betrayed anyone. It was the monster's tactics to create distrust between comrades.

I had left my work to come visit but upon reaching, this is what I am welcomed with.

Malty! As of now, you are no longer permitted to work as an adventurer. You are to drop your adventurer name Myne and are to stay at the castle."

Malty got teary-eyed immediately and pleaded to the queen.

"B-but Mama! You are being too cruel! Thats unfair."

"My queen. What are you-"

"It is the final decision."

In Motoyasu's mind, he was thinking how it was his fault that he wasn't able to protect Malty. And how, because of him Malty wouldn't be able to continue to chase adventuring. He didn't want that at all...

"Wait! Your majesty."

"Huh? Do you have something to say, Spear Hero."

"It wasn't Myne's fault. She was first assaulted and almost raped by that devil, Momon, whom she put her trust in. It must have shaken her to the core. And not even after two weeks, a monster showed her the sight of being betrayed yet again by someone she chose to trust. She must be a mess inside. Please allow her to continue to be in my party. It was my fault in the first place that I wasn't able to protect her."

She stared intently at him for a while and let out a heavy sigh.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Myne is my comrade and it is my duty to take care of her. Please allow it."

"Haah. I see. I shall allow her to continue being with you. But, please consider twice before breaking any laws the next time. You being a hero does not exempt you from punishments. This time too, you would not have left unpenalized if not for your already bad condition.

Malty! King! I expect to meet you both in my room after an hour. We need to discuss some things."

"Yes! My queen"

"Cheh! Yes! I understand."

"Now, Spear Hero. The other heroes too, please take some rest. You need to leave for your journey as soon as possible. More than two weeks have already passed and the waves draw near. No time must be wasted."


	10. Chapter-10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. Thanks a lot for all the support you guys show. I am truly grateful for that.
> 
> Enjoyyy...

An unusually large carriage was heading towards the mountains in the east. It was daytime, yet the atmosphere seemed to bathe in darkness. The sky was covered in thick clouds and trees all wilted and cracking. It gave an ominous feeling to say the least.

In the carriage was one of the two teams dispatched from Nazarick. This one consisted of Ainz, Raphtalia, Shalltear and Solution.

The other one consisted of Pandora's Actor, Mare, Lupusregina and Yuri Alpha. They were heading in the other direction from the forest.

The main objective of both the parties was to gain exp, monster materials and information. And as a secondary objective, spreading the good name of the shield hero. As such, they were to help any humans if that overlapped with their work. The other objective was not really necessary.

The reason these parties had so strong beings was simple. In Ainz's words ,"The world is unknown, and so are the dangers within." There were orders to retreat if they faced an opponent rivaling them, while gathering knowledge about them, if possible.

They had procured the carriages from the slave trader and modified them. They could now easily fit Ainz.

The same was with filolials. They had gotten 16 filolial eggs. All of them had hatched at nearly the same time in front of Ainz. The moment they came out of their shells, they started clinging on him as if he were their mother. Some of them had been nearly killed by the guardians because of that but Ainz had just laughed it off.

They grew at an alarming rate and within 2 days were able to pull carts and stuff. Ainz's filolial especially, grew even more faster. The reason was still unknown.

Now, one was taken by each of the party to pull the carriages and the other 14 were left at Nazarick.

"There is a village up ahead. The village doesn't seem to be very lively."

Solution reported from ahead. She was wearing a black knee-length pencil skirt along with deep blue shirt. These clothes were specifically given to them by Ainz. For him, they were just extra clothing accessories without use. But to her, they were precious and treasured gifts from her master. These clothes were merely decorating items to be worn above armor and did a splendid job in hiding her armor underneath.

They entered the village through the central gates. No guard was present there. They all sensed multiple lifeforms within the houses, one of whom was walking towards them. A middle-aged man approached the carriage. He talked with Solution in an urgent tone.

"Are you a merchant? If so, then its better that you head back right now. The village i...cough... The village is very sick right now."

"I am with the Shield hero. What has happened here?" Solution responded in a calm manner different from her sadistic self.

"Shield hero... uh,eh... Th-there is currently a disease spreading throughout the village. Many people are affected and medicine isn't working. The doctor says that the disease blew down on the wind from the mountains ahead. Please! Please save us."

Ainz thought if healing the villagers would be a good idea. It could certainly help improve his reputation. But, there were not enough resources to do so. Ainz could not utilize an entire village's worth of healing potions. Nor did he have enough of healing scrolls to heal everyone at the moment. In that case, healing no one would be better than to let half of them die. Ainz did have a potion enhancing shield and he had tested it beforehand. That being said, it did not bring any change in its quantity. It was just not worth the trouble.

"Do you know the reason for this?" Ainz's tone might have come as a little rude but there wasn't a problem.

"Uh, the doctor inside might know the reason. I will call him. Please wait a second."

The person rushed back into the building he came from. After a few seconds another person came along. He seemed pretty tired and was sweating profusely. Ainz inquired him about the situation. The response was somewhat surprising.

"Yes, well… about a month ago the Sword Hero was in these lands, and he slew a powerful dragon that had his territory in those mountains. Since then the illness had only been spreading. A few adventurers went to investigate earlier but their are way too many monsters. It is most probably because of the rotting corpse of the dragon."

"A dragon huh? I see. Solution, continue on the path. We were heading that way anyways."

"Understood."

They continued on their path. The two people behind had disappointed faces. Perhaps they wanted him to help the villagers. They were surely thinking of stopping them but in the end didn't.

After starting on the mountain, they had abandoned the carriage as the road had become too steep to continue. Solution was following Ainz, Raphtalia and Shalltear while hidden. Of course, there were five hanzos too. The surrounding now had a lot of crumbling rocks and was completely barren.

He stole a glance at Shalltear. She was extremely quiet with her head facing down. She had been feeling guilty because of the incident that had happened earlier. Because of the events, that matter was pushed back but now that she had the time to think calmly, she had been sulking about it.

He had told her many times that it wasn't her fault but his own but she still denied that claim saying "A supreme being such as himself" can't make a mistake. She wanted to be punished for her wrongdoings. This had put him in a pinch. He didn't want to punish her for something she wasn't responsible for.

His line of sight shifted from Shalltear to the girl walking beside her. Raphtalia was not much different than her. Her reason was different though.

When they had been levelling up in the woods, she had many chances to kill monsters other than balloons. But, at the critical situation, her blade always stopped and the monster unharmed. Her fear of bloodshed was still the same. As a result, Ainz himself had taken control and killed many monsters in front of her. She had vomited quite a few times and even fainted twice.

Raphtalia's level had raised to lvl-16. Her stats were gradually growing but what was more interesting was her physical appearance. She now looked like a 12-year old. When asked, she informed that the physical growth of demi-humans is boosted by gaining levels. That was one of the main reasons they were discriminated against regarding them as 'half-monsters'. Her stats were as follows-

HP- 384

MP- 304

Phy Atk- 176

Mag- 112

Agility- 192

Def- 128

These were the stats without the additions from the equipment. She was given an armor that gave her high resistance against fire and lightning. The armor was a light magic armor that covered the entire torso until thighs, although it's protection extended to the entire body. It's base was mixed blue and yellow along with a white chest plate. She wore it along with white gloves and brown knee-boots. She was also provided with the Ring Of Sustenance.

She was also able to use the ability "Moonlight Blessing" once a day now.

Ainz too, had levelled up to level-120. All the stats increased were directly added to his YGGDRASIL stats instead of his shield hero stats. But granted the difference between the power levels of the two worlds, the growth was slower than expected. But still, it was not too slow either.

Whenever he levelled up, his HP, MP, Phy Def, Agility and Magic Def. stats went up. All the others were unaffected. But still, if the current growth rate continued, all his defense stats would surpass 100 and his agility would reach to be somewhat in the 80s. In fact, his Mag Def was already more than maximum. This was fabulous. His current stats were-

HP- 71 (60+11)

MP-100+

Phy Atk- 35 (35+0)

Phy Def- 86 (70+16)

Agility- 48 (40+8)

Mag Atk- 90 (90+0)

Mag Def- 100+

Resist- 95 (95+0)

Special- 100 (100+0)

All the new levels he got were directly allotted to 'Shield Hero'. And such, he wasn't able to gain any new job or racial classes. But that was somewhat expected. At maximum level, he must be able to defeat all the guardians 1v1. He might even have more than 50% chance of victory against Rubedo.

He had gotten quite a few shield skills too. Nazarick's monsters especially proved to be the most useful. For example- the death knight's parts gave him the shield 'Death knight shield'. The name was pretty simple but the shield raised his base defense by a bunch and gave him the a skill called 'Air knight shield'. This summoned an enlarged shield similar to the death knight floating around him anywhere in a radius of 10 meters.

At the same time, he was able to use the copy skill of the legendary shield to use different shields with exact same stats. This applied to the tower shield of the death knight as well.

Anyways, the toxic content in the air was rising. Everyone except Raphtalia would have been fine because of their high resistance. He took out a ring out of his inventory and held it towards her. It gave mediocre resistance against poisons. She reached out and put it on without speaking a word. This was indeed a difficult situation for him. How does he initiate a conversation?

Ainz felt that he had to do something. As a superior, it was his duty to keep their morale up. For now, he needs Raphtalia to get over her fears. He had run out of all the options but one. It was the one Cocytus suggested earlier. Forcing her into a situation where there is no choice but to strike to kill.

For now, the monster that was hiding revealed itself. It was two-headed hound. At least that's what it looked like. It had black fur and like every other monster, had completely red eyes. It let out a loud growl that might have had fear effects added in it. That said, it was not any stronger than the monsters in the forest.

Shalltear without wasting a moment went in front of him and Raphtalia took out her sword.

"Shalltear, do not kill or harm it. Only restrain it."

"Understood Ainz-sama."

She took off at incredible speed and held both the heads of the beast in her hand from behind. There was no struggle against her. No matter how many times the power of guardians was witnessed, Raphtalia was always left fazed.

Now was the hard part.

"Raphtalia, kill it."

She abided and approached the monsters. She took the sword backwards but as expected was unable to bring it down. She just couldn't do it. This was the moment Ainz had to do something.

"Hit it!" It was a stern and cold voice. She jumped upon hearing it and shivers ran down her spine.

"B-b-but..."

Shalltear's brows twitched. She was definitely furious at her behavior.

"Do it. I can only keep you if you are useful to Nazarick. Think for yourself."

Her face twisted in horror. She thought of her previous days as a slave. The days of terror where she and her friends were tormented. Compared to that, the life she got now was oceans apart. She was well fed and was treated way better than before. All she had to do was fight. And she was not even able to do that. She was not even able to pay back her savior properly, even if he was a monster himself. To her, he was no monster but her kind savior.

She remembered her resolve she had shown a few days back, and how she herself was denying that determination. She was scared yet, the only way out of that fear was to face it directly.

The blade was yet again taken above her head. This time however, it descended down on one of the monster's head. Blood sprayed all around the surroundings and her body. The monster whined and growled in pain trying to break out of Shalltear's grasp.

The blood stuck to her face and clothes. She raised the blade again and this time, the other head was cleaved off completely as the monster fell down lifeless.

Raphtalia's face, apart from the blood, was covered in her own tears. Shalltear stood there with her usual expression seeing her crying face. Then Raphtalia said something that made her almost lose it. Solution must have been the same too.

"Master... May I call you Ainz-sama?"

Ainz immediately realized the feelings of Shalltear with one look. The thought of someone from outside Nazarick addressing him such would have quirked them. That said, they were two of the cruelest of Nazarick who regarded humans as even lesser than pests. So probably their reaction was justified in their own rights.

"Y-yes. You can. You can, address me as such."

"Thank you."

As Ainz had acknowledged it, no one raised objections. Shalltear cleaned herself of the blood as she knew too well that activation of blood frenzy would be a no go. He too, casted the "clean" spell on Raphtalia, cleaning her clothes and skin. She flashed a sweet smile that suited her age. This was the first time, she had shown such a natural smile.

"Then, let's continue. Shalltear, go ahead."

Shalltear opened a gate that sent the dead monster directly to Nazarick. This way, he would get ample time to salvage its parts later. The remainder could be put to use some way or the other.

They proceeded towards the top while encountering many monsters. Most of the small ones were restrained by Shalltear and killed by Raphtalia. Shalltear didn't deal damage as to not take the bonus exp. Also every time Raphtalia killed a monster, the delays of hesitation became shorter.

Other monsters harder to restrain were dealt with by Ainz and Raphtalia together. Shalltear was only to interfere when things got dicey or an insanely powerful monster was encountered. There were monsters like poison frogs, poison snakes , poison trees, and a few others poison oriented monsters. There were few like that two-headed hound that relied on physical attacks.

By the time they reached the top, Ainz had levelled up to 132 and Raphtalia had reached lvl-33. There were a lot of monsters and many of them were stronger than in the area near Nazarick. The forest's monsters were left for the demi-human army to gain levels. Upon reaching the top, the dragon's corpse came into view, just that it, wasn't a corpse.

'Life Essence' Ainz cast the magic and

"It still has some HP left."

Yet it is not alive. It is an undead. Do undead really exist in this world too? Seeing from its outwards appearance, it seems to be a zombie-type undead.

Ainz cast the spell 'Discern enemy'

_It's level is more than 50 in this world's standards. Considering dragons are a stronger species than others, this could be a troublesome opponent in this world. I guess I should do that._

He cast the message spell and connected to Solution behind. He had not directly talked as loud voice could possibly aggravate the dragon. Especially if it's zombification was still en route.

"Solution. Are the surroundings free of any creatures?"

"Yes. There are none in the vicinity."

Ainz's armor disappeared as the overlord revealed himself. His reasoning was that this dragon could be a troublesome foe. That was indeed true but it would have been easy to take out the zombie dragon with the armor on too. His main reason was, his curiosity. His old YGGDRASIL habits of experimenting were surfacing. That was certainly not a bad thing as it helped him learn more about the world.

"Shalltear, Raphtallia, stay careful. I would like to check something. So stay alert just in case."

"Yes" A reply in chorus.

Ainz slowly walked up to the laying dragon and it just flinched. This strengthened his theory that this was an incomplete undead. It was somewhat similar to the ones in the previous world. It started moving but before it could jerk its head away, Ainz had already cast his spell.

"Undead Domination"

The dragon stopped moving for a second then immediately all hostility disappeared. All the while, his organs, wings and tail were regenerating to be like an undead's.

"It still works on undead of this world. That is good news."

Ainz cast another spell.

"Repel Undeath"

A barrier came forth from his body and extended towards the dragon. The barrier broke upon contact with the dragon. This proved that it was more powerful than a low-tier undead.

He now cast the spell 'death' but it did not have any effect on it. This may prove that undead of YGGDRASIL and this world had similar abilities.

"Fireball"

A ball of fire conjured at the tip of his fingers and attacked. The zombified dragon took double the normal damage. This was all the more reason to believe that the resistances and vulnerabilities were similar too.

He tried out a few more spells and theories until his curiousness settled down. The dragon had almost no HP left now and was barely holding on.

He considered making it an addition to Nazarick. But the demerits outweighed the merits and ultimately decided to kill it off. He cast 'Magic Arrow' and killed it. This time they gained massive exp. Ainz reached lvl-138 and Raphtalia lvl-37. Shalltear again, opened a gate and sent the corpse to Nazarick.

After the dragon died a few more small monsters showed up. By the time they reached the carriage Raphtalia reached lvl-40 and Ainz lvl-140. Ainz had put on his armor back. He checked his party screen and a star was displayed next to Raphtalia's name. There was also a black star next to Shalltear and Solution from the starting.

Raphtalia needed to rank-up. Ainz thought about the trouble they would have to go through to get a rank-up for all the demi-humans. Was there no other way...

"Huh! Shalltear, open a gate to Nazarick in a safe place. Everyone is to retreat back to Nazarick for now."

"Yes."

Shalltear opened a gate behind a big rock. Everyone including the filolial went back to Nazarick.

**X-X-X-X**

They all went to the sixth floor where all those of this world were there. Aura, as always, came to greet him.

"Ainz-sama. Did you come to checkup on their progress?"

"Aah. Something like that. Bring everyone here. If I am not wrong, these filolials have levels too, right? Bring them too."

Within 10 minutes, the Colosseum was filled with over a couple hundred demi-humans and a few filolials.

"Bow down before the supreme being."

Everyone went down. Raphtalia had went ahead in front of him too. Maybe they were taught this beforehand.

"Rise. Shalltear, Solution and Aura, go and stand at the front too."

They went ahead with no objections. Now was the time to test it out.

_Hopefully this works..._

Ainz was ready to cast the spell. He was not gonna use his ring because of his XP bar. There were only two more uses left for the spell in the ring. In that contrast, his current exp bar was that of a lvl 40-41 of this world. So, using exp would be a more efficient method than the ring which can cast the spell without exp.

Dense blue magic circles with engravings appeared on the ground originating from Ainz. They spread in a radius of about 5 meters. After around 60 seconds, the circles extended a few more meters. The casting finished and he raised his hands and spoke in his deep voice.

"I WISH UPON A STAR-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell but maybe I rushed 'Raphtalia's getting over her fear' a little bit, because you all have already seen it in shield hero. I still think its enough. Tell me if you think otherwise.
> 
> Filo-chan won't be introduced until after the first wave and I am seriously thinking of a time-skip to nearly the time of the wave. Please share your thoughts on that


	11. Chapter-11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. So let me start by saying thank you for all the support.  
> There was this one question that was extensively asked on fanfiction net. I had originally thought that it was explained in the anime, but now I am not too sure.
> 
> Q. Why can't anyone from Nazarick level up?
> 
> Ans. There are YGGDRASIL rules in play here. Starting off, Nazarick was once a dungeon that was won by Ainz Ooal Gown guild by defeating it in one try. They also got the throne of kings (WCI) as a reward. That dungeon then became their guild base.
> 
> Every guild base had custom-made NPCs. To make them not OP, every base had a limit as to how many total levels of NPC can be there. It was normally 2250 but for Nazarick it was 2750 (Because they won it in one try).
> 
> So, every NPCs' level in Nazarick when added, comes up to be 2750, that is the limit. It cannot be surpassed no matter what. That is the reason they didn't level up in the other world either.
> 
> And one more thing.
> 
> We have a time skip

A large building with a domed roof, with a clock tower extending from the top of the dome. The roof aligned with symbols of three weapons. The three-heroes church was bustling with activity. The doors to the building open with people coming and going as they pleased, an unwelcomed party entered.

It was the party of the shield hero, Ainz Ooal Gown, also known as Momon. He was a level-176 undead. With him were three women who were very beautiful in their own rights.

The floor guardian of the 1st-3rd floor, a level-100 vampire, Shalltear Bloodfallen. She was wearing her usual soft dress with a big skirt. Beside her, stood one of the Pleiades. A level-57 slime battle maid, Solution Epsilon. She was wearing a top with a knee skirt.

Last, was a demi-human not from Nazarick. She was a level-62 half-tanuki, and half-raccoon demi-human, Raphtalia. Even though her level was higher than Solution, she was far weaker than her. That was just because she belonged to this world where the power levels were different. She was wearing her armor with her sword by her waist.

In nearly three months, this party had grown a lot closer, much to a certain succubus' dismay. That certain succubus had even grown so jealous that a rape attempt was made on Ainz upon returning to his room in Nazarick. That ended with him being drily humped for half an hour.

Anyways, everyone in the party had become familiar with each other, especially Raphtalia, the one Ainz was most worried about. They now treated Raphtalia as a part of Nazarick. Although she was still hated by a few in Nazarick, this party was now much kinder than before. The definition of kindness was different though.

Raphtalia as a person too had grown very much. Her personality had grown and she was no longer afraid of anyone in Nazarick. Well, most of them at least. She was kind and would help someone in need if she had a chance. But at the same time, she was very much hostile towards those who were rude to her or any of the party members or anyone in Nazarick. She had unexpectedly become good friends with Shizu and Yuri.

This was the party of the shield hero consisting of four people. Their reputation at this place could only be described as poor. If one was asked, they would surely say that the "Devil of the Shield is manipulating those girls."

Outside of this place, and the capital however the situation was quite different. His party had gained the trust of a few villages because of their adventures. Ainz's party killed a pandemic inducing dragon and in turn, helped a village survive.

Similarly, the other party of Nazarick had slain a monster plant salvaging a town. They had provided mercy to some starving people in another faraway village too, essentially freeing them of hunger.

Leaving that aside, as they walked, they reached a hall with a podium in front. It was most probably the place used for prayers.

"The shiels hero's party, I suppose. Please come this way."

A woman dressed as a nun received them almost immediately. Her behavior was very cold and her tone forced. She turned around and started walking without waiting for a reply.

She led them deeper into the church, and there in the center was a giant hourglass. It looked to be around seven meters tall. It was covered in detailed decorations that lent the whole thing a holy, mystical feel. The red sand was streaming down silently.

Ainz heard a high-pitched beep as a beam of light shot out from the jewel in his shield illuminating the center of the hourglass. It lasted for a few seconds and then a small clock appeared in the corner of his vision.

**02:20:32:08**

With every passing second, the time left decreased. A little less than three days were left.

"Umm. Momon-sama, many people are approaching. Should we not leave?"

Raphtalia addressed her query. She was not worried about herself or the party but those approaching.

Regarding the approaching people, Ainz and co had sensed them coming too. There were around 15 people. So many people coming meant only one thing.

"Woah, Woah! Is that Momon. What is that bastard doing here?"

Ainz sighed internally at such bad timing. All three heroes along with their parties were currently present. Ainz turned back to look at the source of the voice. The spear hero, Motoyasu was walking towards Ainz with that girl, Malty clutching his arm tightly. He was attended by a gaggle of women walking behind him. He seemed to be walking fine. Ainz wondered if his injury was somewhat healed now.

He was different than he had been three months prior. His level had increased to lvl-52 and wore a piece of silver equipment with crimson clothing beneath. He was walking with a malicious look on his face.

Ainz did not want to waste his time with him. He would rather master his skills than argue here.

"We are leaving. Come on."

He started walking towards the exit but Motoyasu would not just give up. As his line of sight shifted to the three walking behind Ainz, his eyes began sparkling. He left his party behind and rushed towards them. He chose to target the worst of them. He started towards Shalltear with lust written all over his face. Ainz's party knew this would not end well but it had to be prevented as the waves were just over their heads.

"You! What is your name? You are so cute."

"Huh! What was that? You wanna die."

Her expression did not change and neither did her posture. She moved slowly behind Ainz ignoring him completely.

"Oh! Such crude remarks. A girl like you should not be with that bastard."

He kept walking towards her not listening to anyone else. Even though Shalltear was told to keep herself under control, if he continued, his safety could not be guaranteed. He extended his hand towards hers. This was bad. If he continued, then in the best-case scenario, his right hand would be separated from his body. Ainz was about to speak up but realized there was no need.

Raphtalia quickly moved behind her and took her hand before Motoyasu had the chance to. He was surprised at her speed that even he could not properly follow.

"Shalltear-sama. Don't you think we shall leave? We should not waste time here."

"She is right Shalltear-sama. We must leave." Solution agreed with her too.

"I suppose that is the truth ~arinsu. You! Keep your filthy hands off me."

They all moved towards the exit. On the other side, Ren and Itsuki came into the view. Their faces full of, confidence. They seemed to think that they were the most powerful here.

"Don't hold us back in the wave."

They all kept walking in the narrow passage.

"OI! Who do you think you are to enslave such cute girls? You should be ashamed of yourself."

_What is it now? Just let us leave. What the hell is his problem?_

As Ainz turned around, he saw Motoyasu with his spear in his hand. His eyes had a dangerous look in them and he was ready to charge. The three with him, as expected, did not take kindly to that.

He shifted his sight behind the spear idiot and saw Malty with a smirk on her face. He wondered if she would ever learn.

"We are heroes from other world. How dare you do such a thing?"

Behind him, the others were whispering within themselves.

"What are you talking about? They are not my slaves. They are with me of their own free will."

"Like hell, I would believe someone like you. I will make you release them of your control, you devil of the shield."

He charged with his spear. It was a normal thrust and no skill or magic was used. Perhaps he didn't want to hurt the girls. That was his mistake.

It was over in a second. Nobody in the room was even able to fathom what happened.

With a bloodlust like a waterfall over his head, Motoyasu could only stare into those blood-red eyes of the vampire. Those red eyes a few centimeters away from his own. It felt like staring into a never-ending abyss. Her mouth half-open as the smell of blood permeated into his nose. Those sharp canines were ready to such the very life out of this very moment. It all instilled fear never felt before into his very core.

The spear did not even manage to touch the target.

One hand held the spear with a monstrous grip and the other pointed razor-sharp nails centimeters away from his neck. Towards the right, was a silver blade emanating a dark aura inches away from the same neck. And on the left, was a single black dagger caressing its cold metal on his nape.

Movement was impossible. Even moving an inch would result badly for him. He understood this and did not even attempt to break free. His face was covered in heavy sweat. No one behind made a single sound. They too were somewhat affected by the heavy pressure.

His grip loosened on his weapon and he left it. The spear disappeared from Shalltear's hand It reappeared in Motoyasu's hand. Ainz made a loud and disappointed sign.

"Come on. We are leaving."

All the bloodlust and pressure disappeared in a moment as if it was never present. The blade went back in its sheath and the dagger disappeared somewhere. Lastly, the hand slowly retracted.

Motoyasu fell on his back taking deep and disoriented breaths. His eyes seemed full of hate as he glared at Ainz.

Shalltear lightly jogged towards Ainz and her tone of speaking flipped completely.

"Ai- Momon saama~"

With that, the shield hero's party left the room leaving everyone inside absolutely stunned.

* * *

**00:00:09:49**

The wave of destruction was to approach in nine minutes. Everyone in Melromarc must be preparing themselves for what was to come.

The situation was similar on the sixth floor of The Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Many demi-humans were talking among themselves. Some were nervous, some excited and some just wanted to get it over with. Raphtalia too, was talking to her nervous friend with whom she shared a room.

In front of such a big crowd that could even pass as an army, were the dark-elf twins. Mare and Aura both stood beside each other with their world item equipped. They had gathered all those who were to fight alongside their master.

All the demi-humans were placed in a single party under Raphtalia so that Ainz was not inconvenienced when adding them to his own party.

After a moment, four beings teleported ahead of them. Ainz was in his black, full plate armor. Shalltear wore her crimson red full plate armor and had her spuit lance in her hand.

Albedo was fully equipped with her pitch-black armor 'Hermes Trismegistus' and her world item 'Ginnungagap'. It was currently in the form of a giant axe. She had insisted that she be taken into the battle with Ainz.

The last was Demiurge in his usual suit. He won't be going into the battle.

The whole army bowed in a practiced motion then went back up after a few moments. Raphtalia came rushing in front of them and went on one knee. Albedo scoffed as she approached and Demiurge had a curious gaze. Albedo did not like Raphtalia one bit.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes. Everyone is fully equipped and ready for your command."

"Good."

Ainz added Raphtalia, and the demi-humans along with her into his party. Currently, Ainz's party consisted of himself, Albedo, Shalltear, Aura, Mare, ten assassins, and the demi-humans.

Ainz too needed to get ready. He browsed his shield skills for some time before deciding.

**Unknown Series -] Prismatic Series -] Scarlette-Metal Shield**

All the skills and shields from YGGDRASIL were sorted into the unknown series. He chose the Scarlette-metal shield out of them. It was the shield he got after absorbing one of the best seven ores in YGGDRASIL. One of the prismatic ores, ie, Scarlette. It was the shield that currently had the second-best defense of all the shields he possessed.

The shield transformed into a hexagonal shield of medium size. It was purely dark-red in color. It was a simple design but the defense was undeniably very good.

They all waited for a bit in silence. As every second passed, Ainz felt his non-existent stomach curl up. His mind was flooded with thoughts of the wave.

What if the waves are more powerful than expected?

What if the waves couldn't be stopped?

What if something bad happened?

What if the enemy is as powerful as a World Enemy?

And many more... Albedo probably sensed his anxiety.

"Ainz-sama... Please be at ease. We will protect you with everything we have."

Those were not the words he wanted to hear right now.

Yet, they calmed him down. He looked around him. All the NPCs present were looking at him with warm gazes. He saw the shadow of his friends in them.

They are all that meant right now. He would do anything to protect them, even if it meant abandoning Nazarick. It was the NPCs that mattered more and not Nazarick. As long as they stayed safe, the legacy of Ainz Ooal Gown would be preserved.

He smiled in joy at everyone. The smile was not visible of course, but it felt like his feelings were transmitted.

"Yes. That's right." He turned towards the demi-humans.

"Everyone listen here. You all are about to fight the waves of destruction.

Fight to protect your world and your brethren, and fight to protect this place, that is now your homes. You were too weak to accomplish this purpose before. But now the situation is different. Nazarick provided you with the strength to do so. You are not weak in this world anymore.

Weakness is a sin and you all are no longer sinners. Find the will to fight within yourselves. Those with weak will do not have the right to be on a battlefield. Decide for yourselves."

Everyone was dead silent for a few seconds. No one spoke, no one moved, everyone only comprehended Ainz's, their master's words.

"YES!"

They all exclaimed loudly. The timings were a little off but their wishes and wills to fight were clear.

Ainz breathed a sigh of relief within himself. He was worried whether or not this speech would work. He had worked hard to come up with it but didn't get a chance to say it. Now that this was done, he turned to face Demiurge.

"Now then. Demiurge. I trust you know your duties."

"Yes. I shall do my utmost best to protect Nazarick in your absence. I will await your return."

"Umu."

**00:00:00:40**

Only 40 seconds left.

**00:00:00:02**

**00:00:00:01**

**00:00:00:00**

Everyone except Demiurge was enveloped in faint yellow light. The light grew bolder and then, the scenery around him changed. The sky was filled with crevices, like a turtle shell, and was stained deep red. Monsters of all kinds were falling from the sky all around him.

_Is there no fall damage? That could be useful later on._

Ainz felt his ring react and the sky above them seemed to crack for a second. It was the ring for anti-divination measures. That meant someone had tried to spy on them. Aura was unable to sense anything, so the culprit was most probably someone far away. It wasn't anyone from Nazarick as he had already denied that. Someone was trying to monitor them.

_Who could it be? It could only be an enemy. We have to stay vigilant._

They were currently on a cliff. Three figures followed by twelve more jumped ahead from below the cliff. They were the heroes and their parties. They were running towards the place where the density of the monsters was the highest.

"Where are we?"

"Ainz-sama. It looks like we are near Lute village that the hanzos told us about."

"I see."

He turned to see Raphtalia and the demi-humans. They were looking at the village some distance away with anticipation. No matter how much they feared and hated humans, their main source of fear was those knights. The demi-humans still had some sympathy for innocent humans.

_Well, if I refuse them this after that speech I gave, it will be hardly fair._

If saving that village meant gaining the trust and loyalty of this army, then it was worth it.

[Create Mid Tier Undead: Jack the Ripper]. [Create Mid Tier Undead: Corpse Collector].

After using his skill, two undead creatures appeared.

One of them was dressed in a trenchcoat and wore a mask that showed a smiling face. Its fingers ended in large, sharp surgical scalpels.

The other was a massive, brawny creature, but its body was covered in pustules and the bandages which wrapped its entire body were stained yellow. There were many metal hooks all over its body, linked by metal chains to just as many moaning skulls.

He mentally gave them and five Eight Edge Assassins the order to help the demi-humans.

"Go. If you wanna save that village, go do it yourselves. They will help you."

"Yes" They all gave a crisp and enthusiastic reply.

They ran towards the village followed by the undead.

When they all disappeared in the forest, he gave out orders.

"Aura, Mare. As decided, you are to stay here and scout for any powerful enemies that might hinder us. Albedo and Shalltear, let us go."

"Understood."

The twins stayed behind as the others continued in the direction of the main horde of monsters.

* * *

They arrived at the village. It was a horrendous sight. People were screaming and running as they were preyed upon. There were skeleton-type monsters, bees, trolls, and some other monsters. Some appeared to be fighting back but it was naught but futile attempts. They had sent out an emergency flare but no one had come for help.

"Help evacuate the villagers. You two, focus on fighting the monsters."

Raphtalia took command. The demi-humans worked quickly to defend and evacuate the humans. The locust type monsters were easy to deal with. Most of them died in just two swings, but they had the advantage in numbers. A few were able to land a hit or two. Those did not deal much damage because of the armor but it was damage nonetheless.

The two undead, on the other hand, did not even pay attention to the humans as the skinned through the monsters. None was even able to touch them whereas they just swept away the monsters like pests.

Jack The Ripper severed the monsters in half with each swipe of its scalpel hands without discrimination and the Corpse Collector wrenched-off monsters' bodies with its chains. It was a massacre and the monsters did not stand a chance.

"Eeeek! Save m-"

The person did not even get the chance to finish as all the monsters in front of him were swept away in one swing of Raphtalia's sword. All the monsters seemed very weak and did not pose a threat right now. The person seemed perplexed seeing those monsters killed so effortlessly.

"Umm. W-who are you?"

"We are the Shield hero's party. Run. Hurry!"

"H-hero? I understand. Thank you very much."

"Yaaaaaaah!"

A scream shot across the field from behind. Raphtalia quickly turned to see a woman with her child in front of a troll. She tried to run but her legs gave out. Raphtalia nimbly stood in front of the woman to protect her. The troll brought its club down, and it was met by her sword. She redirected the club and jumped to cleanly divide the troll's neck into two.

She looked around and was relieved to see that there was currently no damage done to their ranks.

A few more people were saved as they continued thinning the hordes of monsters. All the humans were evacuated to another cliff some distance away.

The monsters were endless. For every single monster they killed, two others took their place. If the current conditions continued, then it won't be long before they are overwhelmed by numbers.

**X-X-X-X**

The battle continued. An hour passed, then another, until three hours had passed. The wave showed no signs of stopping yet the monsters only got more and more powerful. Monsters now were deadlier than before and came in larger numbers. Their speed, power, and numbers were causing a lot of problems.

The Corpse Collector and Jack The Ripper were taking unavoidable damage themselves.

She turned around and saw two demi-humans on the ground. Many monster bees were surrounding them. Rapthalia took off towards them, but she won't be able to reach in time. They will die.

The bees all attacked at once and as their poisonous needles sunk into their skin. At least that is what should have happened.

All of them were cleaved in succession like butter. None of the monsters survived as they made deathly shrieks as they disappeared into thin air. Behind the demi-humans, three Eight Edge Assassins revealed themselves.

_Hah! They were here too. Thank goodness... Just waiiiittttt..._

"If you were here why didn't you help earlier?"

"Kiii!"

In response, they only made an inhumane sound. Although they could communicate, they were not talking. This mildly irritated her.

_But still, just how long will this wave last? It has already been more than two hours. Now, that the assassins are here, should I go help Ainz-sama... No, he entrusted me with this village and demi-humans. I can't leave my post here... Well, I would only hinder them in battle._

Just as she was thinking this, she saw a blue streak head towards the sky. It wasn't that fast that she couldn't follow with her eyes. That blue streak was a person. She wasn't able to tell much, but it was someone with black hair and a blue dress.

Then, she saw something like green energy pass through the corner of her vision. It passed quickly through the sky to reach that person like a needle. It was-

_Aura-sama's arrow._

The arrow was blocked by something but the arrow went through to pierce the shoulder of the person. The fact that such an arrow was blocked even if for a while was commendable in itself.

The person managed stumbled behind but then disappeared into the sky. The clouds slowly dissipated until only the clear sky remained. She then finally noticed that she had a timer on the top-right corner of her vision. That timer was probably to signify the end of the waves and it was already at point-zero.

She breathed a sigh of relief and she sat down on the hard ground. Finally, the wave was over and nobody here was killed. As she sat down looking at the blue sky-

She could not help but wonder who that was...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing this chapter, I realized that the village battle could have been a lot better. I don't have much experience in writing battle scenes. That said, I will try my best to improve my ways of writing in that matter.
> 
> Thank you


	12. Chapter-11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make the fight a little interesting but again, it's my first time. But frankly, I am quite proud of myself for the small fight.
> 
> Thank you. Keep enjoying. Stay Safe.
> 
> Feel free to point out any mistakes (I have the never-ending feeling that I missed something but can't seem to find it) or any advice.

Ainz moved with Albedo and Shalltear as Aura and Mare stayed on the lookout. They moved the same direction the heroes did earlier.

They climbed a small hill to get a view of the forest below. It was a dense forest yet had a few patches of infertile land here and there. One of the said patches was occupied by heavy fighting. The three heroes along with their parties were showering some monsters with magic and skills.

Ainz carefully watched and analyzed their skillset. They were currently fighting with eight chimeras. The chimeras were hybrid monsters with parts of two or more animals. One of the chimeras had the head and torso of a lion with brown-black wings on its spine and a tail ending as the head of a snake. One other had heads of a tiger and goat with a spiked tail.

They seemed to attack with their tails, teeth, and fire and wind-based magic attacks.

|Chaos Spear|

Motoyasu spouted the name of the skill as his spear began to glow. It seemed to split into hundreds of spears purely made of mana as all those thrust onto one of the chimeras. The monster's skin was broken as black-red blood flowed out of the many shallow wounds.

The monster howled in pain and began to rampage. It opened its mouth wide as fire escaped at an alarming rate. It was about to make contact with Motoyasu.

|Fire Shield|

Fire was met with fire. Someone from behind cast the spell to protect him from the attack.

|Shooting Star Shot|

Itsuki loaded an arrow and energy seemed to swell at the top. He released it and the arrow exploded upon making contact with the half-wounded chimera. Chunks of the monster's torso were sent flying as the remainder of its body fell lifelessly.

They continued to fight against the horde as Ainz observed them.

After thirty minutes, they defeated all the chimeras. From their fight, Ainz was able to tell one thing. There was little to no co-operation between the heroes and their parties. Their fight represented a pack of wild dogs fighting for prey. Arguments would break out in the case someone stole the kill or their views and opinions coincided. The fight could have been over a lot faster if they worked together instead of trying to do everything themselves.

Motoyasu especially seemed to get frustrated at the smallest of matters.

Just as the chimeras were killed, a loud rustle was heard from ahead of the forest. As they turned to see, a huge ship was floating a little above the ground. It was easily a 100-meters long and 30-meters wide. It seemed to be decaying and the wood was rusted.

They rushed towards the ship as if they already knew the ship was going to arrive. They appeared to be almost racing. They killed other, smaller monsters on the way with ease. Surprisingly, as they got closer to the ship, the lesser the monsters they encountered. Ainz and co followed them for a 150-meters with Aura and Mare following them just at the right distance.

Upon reaching the large ship, monsters swam out of there. Many bird-type, snake-type, and a few undead. Their numbers were less but each of them was around as powerful as a chimera.

The heroes started arguing again. This time they were a little far away so Ainz activated [Bunny Years].

"LISTEN TO ME! We have to destroy the ship to summon the soul eater! Don't run off!"

"Are you even listening to me? We have to kill the skeleton Captain to do that."

"HUUH! What are you two talking about? In Emerald Online you have to kill the Kraken-monster to spawn the boss. It is obvious that we should be doing that."

_Emerald? Online? What is that? Sounds like a game. Could it be? No, no, but... If I was, then maybe they too... They said they were from different versions of Japan. Were they hiding something or was it the truth. I will have to confirm it later._

For now, he continued observing them. Suddenly, the ghost ship hurled a cannonball at him. Albedo and Shalltear both quickly went in front of him and destroyed ite. Its bits and pieces did not even touch him. A few monsters started heading towards their direction at full speed.

Ainz for one was stunned. They were masking their presences completely using [Perfect Unknowable]. It was hard even for Aura to see through this spell and these monsters were heading towards them as if the spell was not there.

But Ainz noticed something. The monsters were not heading towards them but Ainz himself only. Albedo and Shalltear were thoroughly ignored. Whereas for the other heroes, they and their parties were targeted meant that the monsters were attracted to not Ainz but the Legendary Shield.

But why? He had no idea. He thought of everything he could. The monsters were not strong enough to see through the spell and certainly, those heroes had not noticed. Or were they just pretending not to see? He ran many simulations but couldn't conclude.

Ainz gave the five Eight Edge assassins the order the deal with the monsters. The monsters were cut down before even getting close. He decided to consult the two behind him before making any judgment.

"Albedo. Shalltear. What do you think of the current situation?"

"It seems that they have no intention of working together ~arinsu. Disgraceful. As for the monsters... they seem to be attracted to something."

"Yes. The so-called 'Heroes' have different thoughts on the wave. That is mysterious as if the royalty or the church was involved, they should have the same information. I agree with Shalltear that the monsters are attracted to something. Seeing as they are ignoring us and have the gal to attack you, they must be attracted to you."

"Umu. That seems right. I personally think they are after the four heroes. Although I still don't understand why they are attacking now and not earlier. Is it something that only occurs in the final stages of the wave. Because they were speaking something about the boss monster spawning here."

More and more monsters started coming. It was as if they wanted to stop him from going far away. He remembered about Demiurge's experiment that he wanted to conduct with these monsters.

"Catch two of the monsters coming here."

"Yes."

They both lashed out and captured two of them. It was as easy as it gets. With their abnormal strength, they just caught two monsters with bare hands. One was a flying type whereas the other was like a big lizard.

"Send them to Nazarick."

Shalltear opened a gate and they both hurled the monsters through. They directly went to the third floor at the place previously decided. They must have been greeted with a bunch of powerful undead.

Well, now that Albedo and Shalltear had revealed themselves, they became targets too, although they weren't able to get through.

Ainz thought in himself if this was the extent of the wave, then it would be fine. Even though, this leaves quite a big room for speculations about the next wave. He left this for later and they all focused on the heroes.

They had now split up with two of them on the ship and the bow hero raining arrows on the ship. The teamwork on the ship too was non-existent. Where one was fighting an undead wearing pirate clothes, the other fought a Kraken-type monster that resembled a single tentacle. They were using their magic and skills to attack the monster while attacking each other with words.

They were arguing how it would be better to kill this monster first, then that, then boss and stuff. It got in the way of their fighting as it distracted them from the main goal. They eventually continued fighting while bickering with each other.

The spear hero kept attacking the Kraken-monster while the teammates used magic. The monster had really good durability, or just the attacks were too weak. But the monster fighting the sword hero piqued Ainz's interest. It was repeatedly defeated yet kept recovering its health as soon as it became zero.

Ainz cast magic and started keeping tabs on its health and stats. It did not seem to possess any special abilities or use any attack except a slash from its sword. The bow hero just kept attacking the ship gradually damaging it.

* * *

Time passed until Ainz started to get bored watching them fight. The fights consisted of nothing but attacking with skills, dodging until they cooled down, then using the same skills again. He wondered just what would happen if they fought with this strategy in YGGDRASIL. They would get utterly wrecked. These kinds of movements were those that one would take against NPCs without intelligence. That too would get exploited after some time.

However, Ainz had noticed one thing. The newly-spawned monsters got stronger as time passed. Within the span of maybe a couple hours, they had reached the level of around 25-35. And their numbers in themselves were enough to cause a crusade. Even the undead he had sent to help the demi-humans would take a few hits in this situation. The damage would not be that worrying though.

He thought if it was possible for monsters rivaling the guardians or worse to be spawned. However, he was not at all, wanting to confirm this theory. He could not wait any longer. The wave had to be ended now.

"We are going."

"Yes."

They went down the cliff and went beside the bow hero, Itsuki to ask him something.

"Why do you not cooperate with each other. That way it would be much easier to tackle the wave."

"What the- Oh! It's you!" He did not notice them at first but immediately snarled upon seeing them. He was clearly not willing to speak or did he not have an answer. After a moment, he gave a response.

"I told them. They will have to destroy the ship to spawn the soul eater but they are not listening to me. They even went ahead and got on the ship."

"How do you know that destroying the ship would result in that?"

"Huh? It's because that's how it was in Dimensional Wave."

"Dimensional, Wave?"

"Ugh! It was a game. Now go and let us fight."

The gears in Ainz's head turned at full speed. So his assumption was correct. They came here from a game too. But, the way they speak about it, they seem to think it was normal. Was it because of the different versions of Japan? He decided to investigate on this matter later.

He jumped up with his full plate armor on and reached the hull pretty easily. The two behind followed without uttering a word. Everyone in Itsuki's party had their jaw dropped open. Ainz and his party had just jumped almost 30 meters into the air.

On reaching the hull, Ainz assessed the situation. Both the parties were back to back fighting different monsters. Everyone was getting pretty annoyed. None of the monsters were dying. The tentacle still had almost half HP left whereas the skeleton captain still recovered every time.

Upon noticing the shield hero, everyone scoffed. They wouldn't ever admit that any help was needed because of their pride.

Ainz decided there wasn't much time to waste to deal with the wave. If a boss monster was to show up. It most certainly would not appear before the small fry were defeated. More to that, he had wondered how the heroes were going to fight the boss monster given that they were having problems even before it. Even killing the smaller monsters had become a big deal now. For some reason, the mass spawned monsters did not interfere on the ship.

"Shalltear, help me get everyone off this ship. Albedo, destroy the entire ship along with the monsters."

"Understood."

Ainz hurriedly picked up everyone in the Motoyasu's party as he didn't want to leave them alone with Shalltear. They were resisting trying to say something but were thoroughly ignored. Motoyasu started flailing about like a child and tried to attack Ainz but before they realized, they were thrown to the ground below. The party on the ground looked at them with baffled expressions.

Shalltear brought Ren's party down and, threw them on the ground. The air was forced out of their lungs and Ainz felt a little of HP drop. They all started complaining and cursing at him. They all started to go back to the ship but-

**X-X-X-X**

Albedo was on the main hull of this ship. As her master and Shalltear left the ship, she was now free to demolish the ship. She had a lot of pent up anger that needed to be released. The anger that was accumulated because of the puny humans of this world. They had and have continued to disrespect her beloved Momonga-sama. They even cursed him after he was kind enough to save their worthless lives.

And then, he had to leave her behind and take Shalltear with him on his adventure because of reasons. She won't just forget the boasting Shalltear had done upon returning.

All her bottled feelings were about to be released now. Her world-item was enveloped in faint light. 'Ginnungagap', an item capable of destroying large areas and the most powerful item against physical items. Even if it was sometimes weaker than a specialized divine-class item, it was not weak by any means. Being powerful against physical items also meant that it was destroying equipment including armor, weapons, or others. It was also indestructible.

She had to tread with it carefully, or she could end up destroying a much bigger area. This could lead to her beloved getting involved in the crossfire. She charged its most basic ability to the acceptable limit and swung it down. The wind created by the swing was powerful enough to throw the surrounding monsters in the air for a second.

As the axe touched the wood of the hull, within a moment, the whole ship was reduced to even worse than rubble. As the area around the axe collapsed, the shockwaves spread wide. With her as an epicenter, an earthquake on the wood ship arose. The monsters' HP depleted to nothing from only those shockwaves. The ship unable to withstand the attack, broke. It was no normal breaking as nothing remained. Everything on and in the ship was reduced to sawdust with some parts hurling here and there.

In the midst of all that, stood Albedo. She raised her weapon and rested it on her shoulder. Her head turned around to see her beloved along with Shalltear who had a satisfied look on her face. There were a few vermin behind them gasping in surprise and making too much noise. An enemy appeared behind her and with two quick swings of her weapon, it died. The vermins' eyes bulged even more where she didn't even look at her opponent.

Suddenly her master tilted his head and spoke in a soft voice addressing Aura on the lookout. Maybe he got a message from her. He immediately turned over to the back and looked above. She too turned her sight slightly above. On the cliff opposite the one they stood on earlier, stood a woman.

With long black hair and sharp eyes, she stood on the clifftop wearing a deep blue attire. The clothing was somewhat similar to what some denizens of Nazarick. Both her hands held black fans made of some kind of lustrous material.

Upon being discovered she jumped down the cliff and landed safely on her feet. After seeing Albedo's feat she still dared to face them. Either she was a friend, or a powerful foe or a stupid one. She slowly walked towards Albedo whilst maintaining eye contact. Albedo didn't attack for now as the opponent was not a monster, so gathering information would be the priority.

Two more Soul Eaters suddenly appeared, one behind her, and one behind Albedo. Both of them were killed with a single swing of their weapons. She continued walking until they were like 15 meters apart. Finally, the unknown woman broke eye contact and looked towards the other heroes.

"Are you all so threatened by these little monsters? It seems there is but one true Hero Party among you."

Albedo studied the girl. She was somehow ghostly. The woman in front of her seemed to be an astral identity, yet had a physical form. It was really hard to tell. The way she spoke was confident and resolute. The pressure emanated by her was not light by any means and it would send shivers down their spine. It was just useless against Nazarick.

The heroes' faces were a little pale, but they were not happy at the statement made by the girl.

"Well, from what little I could see of the fight, it was clear that the heroes were unable to fight. Except for your party, that is insanely strong." That girl was now looking at Momonga-sama.

Of course, the other heroes took offense to that statement. They did not want the truth thrown at them. They charged in recklessly, using their best skills all at once.

|Crimson Sword| The sword glowed red and released a frenzy of slashes.

|Blaze Arrow| The tip of the arrow was enveloped in sharp flames as he shot it.

|Air Strike Javelin| He threw his spear as it got covered by bright light.

To that, all the woman did was close to one of her fans. With one swing, the attacks about to hit her were dissipated by a small storm. It then proceeded to hit the three of them along with their parties. They were blown back and all of them became unconscious just from that.

"I expected a little more from you. I feel bad for the holy weapons. Now then, where were we? I challenge you to a fight right now. Might I trouble you for your name first."

"Hmm. It is Momon."

"Momon is it... My name is Glass. I guess that is enough chit-chat. Let us begin."

"Yes, that's right. You both, stand back."

"Yes"

Even though she hesitantly complied, she felt uneasy leaving Momonga-sama to fight the unknown woman again. She even shuddered to think that maybe they did not have his trust.

They both stepped back as their fight was about to begin. She turned to look at Shalltear, who had a similarly bad reaction.

**X-X-X-X**

He did not even notice the timer at the corner of his sight. There were only two minutes left for the wave to end.

Ainz and Glass took off towards each other. Gale left behind as they moved. They met midway as Glass brought down one of her fans.

Ainz blocked it with his red Scarlette Shield. A dull clang rang out as the counter skill activated |Bone Lance|. Three lances dashed towards her. She saw the counter coming and immediately made distance. Two lances were stopped by both fans as they were destroyed. She moved her body to dodge the last one and it passed grazing the top of her shoulder.

"Are you a part of the waves of calamity!?"

"I believe there is no gain in talking when the fight has begun."

Ainz felt the resolve in her voice and knew that she wouldn't talk, for now at least.

|Dancing Circle Zero: Reverse Snow Moon Flower|

She rotated as if doing some kind of dance as invisible slashes of wind were hurled towards Ainz. He chose the Death Knight Shield that manifested itself in front of him. Not one of the attacks got through. As the shield disappeared, Glass was inches away from where the shield had been.

Both the fans enveloped themselves in red-black flames as one of them was thrown towards and the other brought down like a sword. His shield changed back to Scarlette. He dodged the thrown fan masterfully that disappeared after traveling some distance. The other was received with his shield.

As he was about to counter, the thrown fan reappeared in her free hand and she made a piercing blow towards his abdomen. His shield changed forms and disappeared both visually and physically. The suddenly free weapon made her lose her balance but the attack ensued nonetheless. His armor broke as her hand along with the fan went through and emerged from the other side.

Albedo and Shalltear weren't shaken in the least and were watching with almost relaxed smiles. Of course, Glass didn't notice them but what she did notice was that something was wrong.

The blood sputtering from his organs was smeared all over her hands and dress. But it wasn't hot and wet but felt cold as ice and dry as a desert. The image of the shield hero along with the blood dissipated into thin air as she was blown to her side by a heavy blow to her head. His figure reappeared on the side with his fist in front. He had punched her.

Ainz had used the illusion skill |Phantom Illusion|, a simple illusion skill. It was obtained by the Kashin Koji. It was extremely useful but someone with high detection skills could have easily seen through it. His shield changed back again.

She got back up her breaths slightly disoriented. The place where she was struck wasn't bleeding but had a bruise.

|Turtoise Shell Cracker|

She closed her fans and placed them one over the other. She pulled back the one on the top like a bow-string and then jerked it upwards. Concentrated energy shot out towards Ainz. The offense was of course met with his shield. But upon contact with the shield, the energy lapsed through the shield and even passed his armor. It directly hit his shoulder bones. It did not damage him in the least but it had a slight knockback effect added to it.

Ainz was visibly shocked at the attack that had even surpassed his defenses, or ignored it to be exact. Power to go through defenses was there in YGGDRASIL but were incredibly rare and they too, did not ignore it completely. Ainz was about to leap ahead yet again, but he heard something more shocking yet again.

|Envy Spear|

Ainz's head jolted back at those words. For a second he thought of something, but that was surely impossible. Glass was looking at Motoyasu too who had a distorted expression on his face. That expression seemed not because of pain but something girl

Motoyasu was emanating a deep-green aura. That aura was still severely lacking when compared to anyone in Nazarick, but it was leagues above than compared to before. His spear was now pure black with green designs running all over its body. Those designs seemed similar to some kind of symbols.

He ran up at a high speed and thrust his spear on Glass. She skillfully managed to parry the attack with one of her fans and countered with a kick. Motoyasu rolled on the ground a few times before getting back on his feet. His eyes bloodshot and clear insanity within them.

**Envy Series -] Weapon Copy**

If Ainz had eyes, they would have popped out of his head. His head heated up just from seeing the sight in front. He felt that Albedo and Shalltear would be having the same reaction, but he did not have the time to check it.

The spear in Motoyasu's hand was covered in green flames and turned into the exact same shape as Albedo's world item. It did not have a single difference and looked to be a perfect copy. The power emanating from it was similar to Ginnungagap. Its color scheme was the same as the spear before it.

Ainz was not able to comprehend the information in time. Motoyasu rushed towards the now so alerted Glass. The axe in his hand glowed a little as he brought it down on Glass. She raised both her weapons in a cross to block the attack.

As they connected, a loud _boom_ rang out and the Glass was blown back into a rock. The impact was so large, the ground below Glass had caved in and cracks ran several meters from the impact region. The impact in itself was strangely identical to Albedo's weapon. Although the attack's power seemed somewhat lacking compared to the original, Ainz's mind only wandered over the fact that a World Item had been copied to some extent.

Motoyasu after the attack fell down grandly on the spot. His facial expression was now back to normal. Ainz checked his stats and his MP was completely depleted and his remaining HP was just 1, a single point. He had one door in the grave and the other halfway through.

|Maximize Magic : First heal|

His health rapidly regenerated until it almost reached its limit. He picked him up and threw him back where he came from. He turned to see Glass standing with blood flowing from the back of the shoulder and possibly nape too. She was breathing heavily and walked forward with heavy steps.

Ainz had got an idea of her strength. She was stronger than the heroes and could even probably fight evenly with one of the Pleiades. Her attacks couldn't breach his defense, and she too was able to barely defend herself against his shield skills. She was the most powerful foe he had faced in this world.

"What a surprise! To think, he would have a trump card this deadly. It's disappointing, but we will have to continue later. But remember, OUR world shall triumph over your in the waves."

Ainz wasn't going to let her escape, but hearing the words 'Our World', he stopped for a moment. Normally he would have been composed but there were just too many surprises. It was only a moment, but that was all she needed. She flew towards the clouds with speed similar to that of fly.

He immediately gave Aura the command to stop her. Her speed was exceptional. It was not at all comparable to before. Ainz didn't think that it was some normal fly but a skill. She was already near the top but as Aura's arrow was about to pierce her heart, she blocked it with her fans. Realizing she won't be able to stop it, she tilted them and applied force to redirect it to her shoulder.

She certainly had good reflexes. Even redirecting that arrow by a few degrees was a big feat in itself.

There were a lot of things that shocked Ainz in this wave, the biggest being the power used by Motoyasu. He had copied a world-item. However, the information was too less. Was that related to the 'Envy' he had spoken before? Was that skill only usable once, or could it be used more than one time? Seeing as he had almost no HP left, that seemed impossible. However, Ainz had a hunch that it was not the case

He would have liked to take the weapon with him, but that was not possible. Even Wish Upon a Star was unusable. He could take him to Nazarick but then he couldn't be allowed to leave. If it was possible to alter the memories, it would have been better.

For now, he just wanted to go back. There were a lot of things to discuss with Demiurge. Shalltear sent the soul eater remains through a gate and opened another one for them to pass through.

They headed back to Nazarick as the heroes and their parties were left unconscious on the battlefield.


	13. Chapter-13

"Congratulations Heroes! You were Splendid! The wave did not stand a chance against you. Even the dispatched knights were unnecessary. All thanks to you, the true heroes. CHEERS!"

"CHEERS"

The sun had fallen and night had come. The three heroes were currently in a feast. The top brass from all over the country had arrived to celebrate the victory against the wave. The celebration was grand, as expected from the royal family.

Where this was a celebration for the heroes, they themselves were not in the mood to celebrate, at least two of them weren't. Itsuki and Ren's self-esteem had taken a huge blow. Just when they thought they had surpassed the Devil of the Shield, Momon, it turned out even his companions were stronger than them. The simulated smile pasted on their faces conflicted with the dark emotions whirling within them.

Motoyasu on the other hand seemed to be trying his best to celebrate. He was his cheerful self going around hitting on girls. His party members too celebrated along with him. They were, as usual, surrounded by hordes of women trying to charm the Spear Hero with Myne telling them off.

A guard approached the crowd and whispered something into Malty's ear. Upon hearing the message her smile widened and she excused herself.

**X-X-X-X**

He saw the two people going through dark passages and hallways without any guard. After five minutes or so, they arrived in the king's personal chambers. Normally there would be guards present but by his order, they were all busy with the feast. They entered the room and sat down on two of the three chairs set up around a table. They spoke quietly and did not speak until the second party arrived.

Not even two minutes had passed and a man excused himself into the room. He wore black long-robes that covered all the skin on his body except his face and hands. He wore a pendant with the representation of three weapons.

Upon entering he bowed in the front of the king but then immediately stood up on their cue. He sat in the only free chair in the room and began to discuss something with the two people.

Unfortunately, the Mirror of Remote Viewing did not capture sound. But there was no problem for now as the conversation would be reported to him afterward. They continued talking for some time without moving from their position.

The king suddenly jolted up and slammed his hand on the table. He had a furious expression on his face whereas the others did not move an inch. He seemed very frustrated about something. He turned around and moved towards the only open window in the room with his hand massaging his forehead.

He looked upon the crescent-shaped moon as his mind probably wondered about many things. As calm returned to him and he was turning around, his eyed widened as they turned into a complete circle. He slowly moved his head to look down to see two bastard-swords impaling his gut and passing through the back. As blood sputtered out of his wounds his eyes followed the hands holding both the swords.

He already recognized those hands but did not want to. He wanted to deny that possibility with all his heart, but the truth didn' t change. His dear daughter Malty held one of the swords with a large grin on her face whereas the other one was held by the robed person who had a similar expression.

"Proceed!"

"Yes!"

Demiurge along with his three demon servants and two doppelgangers teleported to the room. He continued observing them through the mirror.

**X-X-X-X**

As they passed through the gate, they reached the room. The king tried to stabilize his breathing and comprehend what had happened. His eyes looked heavy and his throat was trying to get out words. The robed man bowed in front of him and Malty went to the side not bothering to do the same.

She was chuckling at the side and probably was celebrating her victory in her mind. Upon seeing the ever so happy Malty, Demiurge's smile could not help but creep upon his face. She finally spoke apparently to thank Demiurge for the "Deal".

"I thank you for helping me gain the throne. Those church people would have taken too long anyways. I now have to take care of Melty only."

"Fufufu. Do not worry about it."

"Wha-agh!" The king lost blood at an alarming rate. His body weakening by the second. On top of the blood loss and organ damage, the blades were poisoned as the cherry on the top.

"Go on."

* _Thump*_

The king's head fell down clearly detached from his body. This was the work of two hanzos. His body glowed for a second, then fell opposite the direction of the head.

He turned towards the doppelgangers and-

Their appearance twisted, the whole body distorted and they took on the appearance of Malty and the king. Seeing this, Malty's smile froze and she had a bad premonition. The deal had said that the king's body would be replaced with a copy. There was nothing said about there being any copy of her.

"The people shall get the news that Aultcray Melromarc had passed away and in his stead, his esteemed daughter Malty Melromarc will rule until the true heir returns. At least for now."

She understood now! Upon hearing the devil's cold words, all of the hope accumulated within her shattered into small pieces.

* * *

**Earlier That Day**

It was noon, and the entrance to the castle was surrounded by the royal knights. All of them were saluting the tired parties coming back after fighting the waves. The three heroes in the front with their respective parties following them. It would be an understatement to say that the knights as one were stunned by the heroes' power. They were not even required. The heroes and their parties alone had handled the entire wave without many casualties.

A few hours had passed since the wave had ended and the heroes had rested on the battlefield itself for a few hours after the wave. They were finally making their grand return to the castle. It was written on their faces that they were dead tired and did not want to interact with anyone for now.

As such, all the formalities were pushed back to later on. Everyone was pleased with the fact that the Shield Devil had not created any problems.

All the parties retired to their respective rooms in the castle. They decided on a later time to meet up and then split. They were supposed to meet up for a feast that the king would hold later at around 9.

Malty entered her room. She too felt an insane amount of fatigue. She removed her armor and headed straight towards the comfy bed. She was not even one step away from it when she was alarmed by a voice from behind her, ie, near the door. She twisted her head quickly and she saw a lean person with neatly combed black hair and a high-end suit. Her eyes saw through the glasses he wore to see a pair of crystals resting where the eyes were supposed to be. There also sprouted a tail with metal-like spikes from his back.

He was indeed not human. What he had spoken had surprised her even more.

"How is your plan of usurping the throne following through?"

"Huh! Y-you! Who are you? |Zweit Fire Bullet|"

A ball of fire appeared above her head and reshaped itself into a pointed bullet. It attacked Demiurge but before reaching him, it was stopped by an invisible barrier. Her mouth agape at the sight in front of her. Her magic didn't work, so she could only do one other thing. At the top of her lungs...

"MOTOYASU-SAMA! SAVE ME! SOMEONE! SAVE ME!"

"That attempt is useless. No voice escapes this room."

She was getting reckless by the second. She started using magic spells one after the other.

|Zweit Fireball| . |Zweit Fire Squall| . |Zweit Power|

All attempts, utterly useless. The whole furniture in the room was turned to ash or was in flames. The person in front of her, however, was unaffected by all the ruckus and watched with an amused expression. He wiped off some dust from his suit in a dramatic way and commanded-

"Stand up straight and stay still."

She felt a force tug on her body for a second trying to force her to move. That only lasted a second and all the force disappeared.

"Ho. You are above level-40 it seems. Interesting. Ainz-sama was correct about that too as always.

Too bad. I am afraid we will have to do this the hard way. Hanzos, please restrain her."

She was immediately pinned to the ground by some kind of monsters. Every part of her body seemed to have been locked away and moving them was impossible.

The one standing in front of her then spoke in a cold and content tone.

"Let's make a deal, shall we?"

* * *

**Present**

Malty was flooding with sweat. Her body trembling in front of the cruel and powerful devil. She did not like the taste of her own medicine.

"Bu-but, What about our deal?"

"You believed a devil's sweet and hollow promise over the bitter truth. What did you expect? You understand too well, don't you? A hollow promise that is..."

"N-no. Don't do this. SOMEONE! SAVE ME!"

"I told you, didn't I? No voice escapes from within this room. Still, our deal would be fulfilled. In your own words, 'Malty Melromarc shall be declared the ruler of the country.' I am sure you haven't forgotten."

"NO! NO! PLEASE! DEMIURGE-SAMA! SPARE ME! PLEASE! I WILL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE! ANYTHING!"

By now, she was sobbing and begging endlessly by his feet. Her cries for help reached deaf ears.

"After what you had done to Ainz-sama, even repenting for your entire life in hell would not be enough to get you forgiveness. Aah, forgive me... You know him by the alias of Momon, don't you?"

All color drained from her face as she realized there was no way out of this. She continued begging and after the devil had proclaimed the name of the Shield Hero as someone superior to him, she even went as far as to offer her body. Her selfishness knew no bounds. She had realized that she had put herself into matters she should never have had. She was just a playtoy to him. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Now, now. I believe it is time to go. Now you either have the chance to come of your own accord putting up a graceful appearance in front of the supreme being and beg for forgiveness. Or I will drag you there by force myself."

Her eyes got one last tint of hope. She immediately stood up straight and prepared herself to once again ask for mercy. There was no other way out of this.

[Greater Teleportation]

As Demiurge said those words, they were teleported away from the castle to Nazarick. That was the last time she ever saw the world outside.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

* _Knock. Knock.*_

...

* _Knock Knock Knock Knock*_

...

* _Thump Thump Thump.*_

"Spear Hero! Wake up!"

"Ugghh!"

Motoyasu rolled in his soft silk sheets. His head hurt like hell. He had probably passed out drinking and this was this hangover was the result. He wondered why had he drank that much after a horrible wave. Probably to forget about it. Maybe Malty recommended it. Whatever...

He looked over the surroundings. These were his chambers in the castle. His chainmail and the spear was carelessly placed beside him on the bed.

* _Thump Thump Thump*_

"Who is it?"

"It is the royal knights. Spear Hero, your presence is required in the throne room."

"Yes. Yes. I understand. I am coming."

He heard their footsteps fade away. His body relaxed and he went back to sleep for another quarter.

After waking, he reluctantly dragged himself into the washroom. He splashed water on his face to fend away the drowsiness. He removed his clothes and went for a shower. While in the shower, he looked down and he got filled with hatred once again. He was reminded of the monster he had sworn to take revenge on.

He wiped himself and put on fresh clothes from the closet. Because of the headache, his mood was even worse. He wore his chainmail over his clothes and then his full equipment. He moved through the halls but there was deadly silence. The halls were strangely empty and even the food stalls were empty. On the way, he looked outside through a window and the royal garden was filled to the brim with people. The streets in the town were empty and it seemed like the whole population had arrived.

There were large floating screens like holograms in front of them displaying the scene of the throne room. Everyone was standing still in the room. Some had sad expressions, some grim, some impatient, and some furious. The other two heroes were already present and had similar expressions.

_Crap I'm late!_

He fastened his face and arrived in the throne room. As he entered many eyes turned towards him but he was unfazed. What was more astonishing was the person sitting on the throne.

Usually, the king, Aultcray Melromarc would have been sitting on the throne, but today the one sitting on his place was his teammate, Malty Melromarc, the daughter of the king. She had hands folded on the armrest and head buried in them. She was shaking uncontrollably and she did not look to be in the best condition.

The atmosphere was grim. The tension in the room was so thick he could cut it with his spear.

He lined up with the other heroes. Within a minute a person came ahead from the seats. He was the new advisor of the king. His face had a terrified expression and he struggled to keep his tears back. He spoke with a heavy voice, that just worked to deepen the impact of the news given.

"Friends, Family, Countrymen, the Heroes,

Life isn't perfect. There is good in every bad yet bad in every good.

Today, W-we suffer the loss of someone who found that good in everyone and everything.

The one to have been known as the wisest.

The one who held this country together under any and all circumstances.

The strongest at heart that I have had the honor of knowing.

Today, we must stay strong and hold ourselves, for the honor and respect left in our hearts.

It is to my great misfortune to announce that-

Our Esteemed King, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, aka, the Wise Sage, p-p-passed away yesterday."


	14. Chapter-14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,  
> Please don't chew me out. This is a very short chapter that I am not sure about. I should have asked this sooner but I forgot...
> 
> What do you guys think about spoilers of Shield Hero. They will mainly be about Shieldfreeden and Faubrey (WAR). Of course, I will change a looooot of stuff. But quite a few will be there. I myself have not read the light novels so there might be some inaccurate information too. I just want to add it there to establish the future main antagonist and show Nazarick conquer two countries. So what should I do? I am very confused about that.  
> There will be a lot of changes from the canon but there will be similarities in behaviour and powers (Not completely similar). I might even leave some crucial information vague enough. So you could say you would be and would not be spoiled at the same time  
> If you guys are ok with it, then that's good. I will add a few details about it in the next chapter or after that.
> 
> If you guys don't want that. Then I will most probably delete this chapter and add a new one.
> 
> Thanks a bunch for listening

**Just After The Wave**

Rivers of lava flowing in all directions. Walls cracking with molten lava flowing through them in thin passages. Everything so hot even the air seemed to burn itself. A lake at the end of everything, and a single path leading to the blazing temple. The half-ruined temple representing the fall of the Gods, truly it was hell. The seventh floor of Nazarick. At the center of the ruins, sat Demiurge on his white throne overseeing his domain.

In front of Demiurge, space distorted and Ainz and Albedo appeared using teleportation.

"Hah! Ainz-sama!"

Demiurge got off the throne immediately and bowed down. A few surrounding demons and monsters bowed down too.

"Welcome to my domain Ainz-sama. But, if you had just given us the word and your humble servants would have come to you. You did not need to trouble yourselves."

"There is no need to worry about it. I have business here anyway."

"Ha! Please enlighten us on what we may do for you."

"Hmm! Call Evil Lord Envy along with any two evil lords here. I have to ask them something. Your presence is required too."

"Y-yes. I will summon them here immediately. Until then, if I may, please, by all means, sit on the throne."

"Hm- Aah! Okay!"

The entrance to the floor, a pair of black double-doors. Said doors guarded by seven powerful demons. The demons each representing one of the deadly sins; namely- Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Sloth, and Wrath at last.

Demiurge arrived there and chose three of the lords. They rushed back to greet Ainz. They passed through the narrow path and into the temple until they were at an appropriate distance. They all knelt in unison.

"Your loyal servants at your command, Ainz-sama."

Ainz was sitting on the pure white throne Demiurge was sitting on earlier. He had one hand on the rest while the other held his chin. Albedo stood behind him with both her hands in front.

"Umu. Thank you for coming here. Now, we have some matters to discuss with you. First of all, Albedo, fill them on the details. Tell them all the info shared by the hanzos too."

"Yes."

Albedo went on to explain everything that happened in the wave from the rescued village to the skill of envy. They all listened attentively. After she finished, Ainz spoke before any of them could speak.

"So. I am sure, Demiurge, that you have your assumptions. Out of which, tell me your thoughts on the main points for now."

"Yes. First of all, the one who attempted to spy on you. It is obvious that it is an enemy. The enemy in question might as well be the woman whom you fought with. It could also be some other enemy who may as well participate in the future waves.

Although, they could also be from the kingdom of Melromarc hoping to keep you under check. The counter-measure was activated, so the caster would have undoubtedly taken backlash. It is also possible that it resulted in instant death. If there are no such cases then this option could be eliminated. All in all, there is not much known about the one who cast the surveillance spell."

"Melromarc. That might just be the case. Well, I thought that the information was insufficient too."

"Yes. Now as for the woman. Her parting words open up the doors for many suspicions. But I am sure you have already noticed. The clouds in themselves were very somewhat like the advanced version of the spell "Gate". Given, Gate is the highest-tier teleportation spell known to us, it is very plausible that we may face powerful opponents in the coming waves who could cast potent spells.

To be able to cast such a spell in such a radius, it is possible that the opponent may possess world-item of their own or even have powers matching to it. It is also very possible that it may be a spell fueled by some ritual or many beings together as one."

"Yes, I did notice those clouds. I just thought that the monsters were coming from some corner of this world. However, after those words by that woman, I doubt that. However, the woman was somewhat of a fool if I must say. She did not finish off the heroes when she had the chance to. Aah, there is not much intel!

What do you think about that skill? I want you to make changes in the plan so that his capture is done at the earliest possible. I reluctantly left him alone this time due to the fact the power of the skill was leagues below the original and he had nothing left after it. However, I won't allow him to grow any stronger. "

"Yes, it is as you say. An attack that pulverized the entire shop should have shattered most of her bones just by the aftershock. According to the hanzos, the king is holding a feast tonight. We may accelerate our plan. But, it shames me to say that I do not have the minute details of the plan that would change the plan majorly sorted out. If I may, I ask for a time of no more than two minutes to make the plan concrete. I would also like to consult Albedo."

"That is fine. Take your time. Until then, Evil Lord Pride, Envy and Wrath."

"Yes."

Evil Lord Pride, a masculine and sleek monster whose body size was comparable to Demiurge himself. Body completely black with red eyes and proportionate arms. A long single horn protruding from his forehead with his small tail burning with a blue flame at the tip.

Evil Lord Wrath, with the appearance of a fearsome demon with fangs protruding from his mouth and his body covered in scales. Two long flaming wings, a snake-like tail, and sharp claws.

Evil Lord Envy, a feminine-looking monster dressed in a tight-fitting bondage outfit. Her dark face hidden by a long crow mask.

"I want to ask you about your special ability. Like I have heard that Wrath's attack and defense stats increase with an increase in the hate value."

Wrath spoke first, "It is as you say Ainz-sama. The higher my hate value grows, the more my offensive and defensive stats. As a result, it is easy to lose control and target opponents at random."

Pride spoke second, "For me, the more powerful the opponent I face, the more my overall stats grow. The gain is lower than other Evil Lords whereas all my stats grow without exception. As such, I easily get immersed in fighting the most powerful opponent in a group battle."

At last, Envy spoke, "While facing an opponent, only my offensive abilities are boosted. The gain has the potential to be more than any other lords but is directly dependant on the opponent's offense. So, in any group battle, I am most likely to fight the one whose offense exceeds mine by the most."

After hearing them, Ainz stayed quiet for a moment contemplating. He broke the silence sending them away and telling Envy to give a detailed description of her abilities related to Envy. He turned to Demiurge and Albedo who were both looking straight at him.

"Demiurge, is it done?"

"Yes. The plan is ready."

* * *

**The Next Morning in the Queen's chambers**

"W-W-WHAT? ARE YOU IN THE RIGHT MIND?"

"Y-yes. Your majesty. Princess Malty has assassinated the king in cahoots with the church. A-and then the Spear Hero was framed for conspiring this in alliance with the Shield Hero. They both have been marked most wanted criminals. Spear Hero is already locked in the dungeons below."

She sat on the ground right there taking the support of the wall. She wanted to deny it all. This time Malty had gone too far. Too far to a place of no return.

"What did they say in their defense."

"The Spear Hero was not given a chance to. The people's rage was too much. As soon as the news was announced, everyone without exception pounced upon him. Even the heroes deemed him dangerous and assisted in his capture. He is placed in the most heavily guarded jail cell in the dungeon."

"MALTY! You stay away from the capital for now. As long as Malty sits on the throne, none of us are safe. She will do everything in her power to take over the throne. Until then, send a messenger to inform that the funeral will be held after... five days. I will depart from here in three days."

"A-are you sure, your majesty."

"Yes."

"Understood."

With that, only one figure remained in the room. That one struggling her best to take in the information. Her daughter had not only killed the king but also, orchestrated the news publically. This meant that the news must have already reached the other representatives of other countries. They won't sit quietly after receiving this news.

This meant War. War with at least a single country.

She would have to use the three days to stall them enough. To delay them long enough that she could ask him for help.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola amigos. Here is chapter.  
> Enjoy.

Ainz sat on the throne of kings. As always his subordinates were present in the throne-room as well. Besides them, there was one extra person in the room who swore their loyalty to none but themselves.

Neuronist who was usually not present in here, stood in front of Malty Melromarc. She was hugging her knees and intensely shaking. Her eyes shut tight, hoping over and over in her mind for this nightmare to pass. Of course, this was not a dream to begin with. This was just the result of one night with Neuronist.

Yesterday night was very beneficial for Ainz. Whenever he had tried using 'Dark Wisdom' on someone, the body was unable to bear the pressure and chose to destroy itself. He wondered if this was because the bodies were just too weak, or was it because they were non-player entities.

The king of Melromarc was brought yesterday night. He himself, as a player had got a legendary weapon, so the spell might also work on those who held these special weapons from this world recognizing them as players.

And the experiment succeeded. Aultcray Melromarc, the holder of the vassal weapon Staff, was able to withstand the effects of Dark Wisdom.

Dark Wisdom was a spell that let him use the bodies gained from PKing to learn a new spell. The learned spell could be any of the spells known to the person whose body was used.

From him, he had obtained the spell 'Energy Blast'. He was unsure as to whether this spell was one that the king used with staff, but he was able to use it just fine. The best thing was he could increase the power of the blast per the mana spent, ultimately reaching power up to the 10th tier. This made it a very versatile and powerful spell.

Then there was the fact that that the whole country was now at his disposal, even if temporarily. This was crucial in leading to the next part. Now, what was left to see was whether other countries would declare war or not. If the collected data was true then war was inevitable.

And finally was this girl that was captured. Upon arriving here yesterday, she was scared out of her wits. She did not have words to speak and she even forgot to blink. Eventually, she was taken away.

She was present here just to witness the arrival of the last guest.

All this would be a great bargaining chip to ultimately take over Melromarc too. Seriously, Where did Demiurge get his wits from?

After this, he was to leave Nazarick to level up. Well, he was also to visit a certain place requested by the demi-humans themselves. It was a certain nobleman who had tormented them in the past. There were many more slaves stuck in a dungeon owned by him.

As he was thinking all this, in front of him, the three floor guardians that were absent in the room teleported back. Albedo, Demiurge, and Cocytus and arrived with a person in tow.

With a spear in his hand The Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura arrived in Nazarick from the prison in Melromarc. His head facing down with lifeless eyes. He showed no emotion, yet his emotionless face was enough to convey how he felt.

He felt deep anger. Anger at being betrayed, being backstabbed, being cheated, and being deceived. All this because of his former comrade, someone he trusted, Malty. The pathological liar that once tried to sully Ainz's name was the same one who started these flames of hatred that could not be quench easily.

"Motoyasu-sama!"

Malty made a plea for help. She hoped for him to help her get out of here. Motoyasu slowly tilted his head to face Malty in the eyes. His eyes burning with hatred he never felt before. His lips showed movement. He spoke in a low, hushed voice that he himself didn't hear.

"Motoyasu-sama! Please help me!"

"SHUT UP YOU BITCH! HOW DARE YOU EVEN ASK ME FOR HELP! I'll KILL YOU!"

"Huh?" The last glimmer of hope of escaping this place shattered within her.

Motoyasu completely ignored Neuronist, the monster he sworn to kill earlier and rushed behind her towards Malty laying on her knees. His spear pointing towards her throat with an intent to kill.

As his spear reached two meters away from her, a gate opened and in front of him. Unable to stop himself he went through while shouting a curse.

Malty completely fell on the ground just from the pressure and fear. But it was not over. The Spear Hero was promised to do anything he wanted with her. The guardians just didn't want the blood of a filthy human to put a stain on the beauty of the throne-room.

Ainz got up in his practiced manner.

"Bring her."

He teleported away and not one second after, Demiurge held Malty by her hair and teleported too. The other guardians followed. Neurnist's work was done and she slowly slithered away outside the room.

Motoyasu arrived on the sixth floor's Colosseum. He was confused for a moment but within a moment the other arrived at the same place with Malty in tow. Throwing Malty on the ground, they went aside to give space for him to do as he pleases.

Upon seeing Malty again he charged again. She quickly scrambled out of the way to protect her life. The spear passed by grazing her throat as fresh, hot blood escaped from the wound flowing down her body.

"Mo-Motoyasu-sama! Why are you trying to kill me? Fight them who are our enemies. Just what did they say to you to brainwash you."

"Just how corrupt can you be. First Ainz-sama, then me."

He stopped in his tracks. His voice was hoarse and their eyes made contact and she felt herself shivering all over. His hate for her only kept increasing. But not only his hate. There was a kind of insanity growing within him. Every word she spoke only increased the intensity of his negative feelings

**-Lust Series Activated-**

A combo got imprinted into his memory.

His spear changed to look the same as it did once before. Pure black with symbols of green running all over it. The tip of the spear, now sharper and longer than before with his whole body emanating a black aura.

He Held the spear upside-down vertically with both hands. He thrust it into the ground until the whole blade became invisible and only the handle could be seen. The blade buried itself within the ground so easily and smoothly, it seemed as if it phased through it.

**"Envy Series -] Spear of Envy -] Chains of Leviathan"**

Six grey and neatly polished chains sprouted from the ground within the ground. Each of them came out of a different spot with similar intervals like out of a hexagram. Four of the chains restrained her limbs. The other two wrapped themselves tightly around her head. The chains then pulled down and pinned her to the ground.

She could not move her body at all and her eyes flailed wildly. Her screams only grew louder and louder.

**"Change Shield -] Lust Series"**

HIs spear changed its shape. The handle became a lot thicker except the places he held it from. It grew many engravings of symbols on it. The blade was, again, completely black with the engravings emanating deep blue light. The blade on top was not visible currently.

The spear seemed to spread to his body forming a translucent deep-blue armor. That too had similar engravings as the spear.

He began to chant.

" Let this foolish sinner pay for her transgression with being impaled in the name of the devil! With nary time to scream, quench my never-ending thirst with your pain that flows in thy veins! **Bloody Impalement**!"

He finished chanting. The chains left the ground and floated in air. Malty's pained screams, clearly audible, resounded loudly in the open. The tight chains stretching and tearing apart her body. The floating chains made her stay in the air vertically.

The ground directly below her crumbled as a hot-red stake showed itself from the ground like a plant. The stake was of course not red but the intense heat within it make it red. It was a few centimeters in diameter with it growing thinner until a point at the top.

Malty's head was still stuck in place so she was unable to see it for flailed and screamed and cried but no avail.

"Motoy-"

Her plea was cut short as the burning hot stake left the ground and pierced her body from between her legs. It passed through her burning and tearing her from the inside out while giving her the pain of a lifetime. It passed through her entire torso, her head jerked back, and the stake escaped through her throat from the open mouth. Her body spasmed once, then all the strength escaped.

All happened in a moment and there was no chance for her survival. While dying too, Malty's last thought was exactly like the hypocritical narcissist she was-

_How Unfair..._

The large metal rod was bathed with red blood that overlapped itself over and over again. The setup stayed in place for a few seconds before disappearing in thin air. Her body and all the blood previously on the stake fell on the ground altogether. She lied within the pond of blood with her eyes open and staring at nothing.

If someone weak-hearted saw her, they would be terrified by the wounds and blood in itself. Seeing the method would most probably traumatize them. Her body seemed to be hanging on nothing but skin at the torso and the top of her head. If not for them, her body would be revealed to be divided in two.

Motoyasu took the spear out of the ground that had transformed back to its usual form. His balance flinched for a second but he immediately regained control. He physically was completely fine. His breathing was normal and the skill looked to have no repercussions. But that was only regarding his appearance.

The anger within him had been almost satisfied yet the insanity had grown exponentially. His eyes continuously watched the very dead Malty with hunger in his eyes. He was no longer the person he used to be. His past self would be scared in itself of turning into something like him.

The cause must have been pretty obvious to himself but he intentionally ignored it. Now, that the truth was covered by heavy clouds denser than ever, he could only hope to not get lost in them.

His curse series was slowly taking over him. His lust and envy growing without limit. With no one to help him find the truth within those clouds, no one to support him, and nobody to take care of him; all he could do is accept his dark self, those deep negative feelings alongside them.

He snapped out of his imagination and forcefully moved his eyes from Malty. He turned and bowed towards the supreme being. Ainz's subordinates had enlightened him that there was nobody with him in this world except him.

It was Ainz who captured the monster that tormented him and broke the monster to a limit that it swore fealty to him. It was Ainz who had helped him from the shadows whenever his traitorous allies were to betray him. It was Ainz that got him the one he had come to hate the was Ainz that promised him his body completely healed. It was Ainz that supported his weak self. Nobody else in the world was with him.

The only way he could repay his kindness was to follow him and help him in any way he could. He would become his servant, his slave, his friend, or an enemy; whatever it takes to help him.

If asked, Motoyasu would describe him as his own free will. That was half-correct. It was his own decision, granted he was under the influence of great anger, and two deadly curses that distorted his ways of thinking. He did not realize any of this, nor did he want to. He was tired of being used and thrown away. He wanted to help someone in reality for once.

He was ready to grant himself to Ainz. Yet his hunger was still not satisfied. He did not know how to calm down his feelings. Or he did. He could not tell himself. Yet deep within his heart, he knew what he wanted. He was still not done with the bitch Malty. He knew what he and his dark self desired.

It would not be wrong to say that he had almost become a monster at heart.

He knelt in front of Ainz for the first time in his life.

"Ainz-sama. I... I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to avenge myself. I am deeply grateful. At the same time, I am terribly sorry for my past actions. I hope you forgive me."

"Umu. So, what is the last thing you desire? You were promised three things, two of whom had been fulfilled."

"My feelings are still not settled. I... Want you to resurrect her."

* * *

**The Same Night**

The stars glimmered wonderfully in the night sky.

There was truly a difference between reality and fantasy. Watching the sky, Ainz reminisced about the old days. How once, having such a clear sky free of pollution was nothing but a fantasy. And here he was now, already having traveled two worlds with such diversities because of a phenomenon he could not even explain.

It all seemed like a dream sometimes. But he knew, all of this was anything but a lie.

He sometimes wondered where his friends were? What they were up to? Were they fine? How are things on Earth?

But he didn't wish to go back to that world. He had those he cared for now. And those that cared for him. Even if things were hectic, times were peaceful. Yet-

"What Was That You Slut!"

"HUH, You Got A Problem You Fake Boobs!"

Yet- Those peaceful times too didn't last for long.

He was currently in a carriage heading towards the Rabier territory. It was a district famous for the procurement and selling of slaves. He was heading there on the request of all the demi-humans as one. They had quoted, " This is our last request to you. We will not ask anything else from you. Please let us do this."

Ainz particularly didn't care regarding their wish. Almost everyone in this world was weaker than average. Everyplace Ainz went was first scouted by Kashin Kojis, hanzos, or assassins. There were always escape paths ready. Guardians were always accompanied by five level-75 monsters outside of Nazarick at the least.

What was particularly tiresome was the journey. Everything on the excursions was far from normal. He was in a carriage with three people currently two of whom were extremely powerful entities having a verbal duel with each other.

The last was Raphtalia navigating the tour. Nothing was normal. Not even the carriage they were traveling on or the filolial pulling said carriage. The carriage was a normal carriage on the outside but had plenty of space in the inside.

The filolial was something else. The moment it had reached level-39, it transformed into a much larger version of itself as if evolution occurred. It's feather pure white. Even its stats had increased a little.

But, all in all, the filolial was the only one most cheerful of all of them right now. Filolials like her liked to pull carriages. The heavier the better.

They traveled at a mediocre pace and were still around five minutes away from their destination. Solution was currently traveling to another country with Sebas and Lupusregina Beta. As the spot on the party opened, Albedo jumped in to fill it. It was argued for some time but eventually, Ainz gave in when she agreed to always have her armor on.

Ainz was already very stressed about, everything. The waves, that woman, and most of all Demiurge's plan that just got complex with every step.

At many times Ainz was told by Demiurge to do whatever he deemed fit. Even after asking many times, his response had been the same stating that whatever he did would be the best course of action. The spear hero was currently in Nazarick under high surveillance.

Then came the leveling. That was the only thing that was going well. Ainz was currently at level-189 with his stats off the charts. Raphtalia was at level- 82. Their stats were-

Ainz-

**HP- 100+**

**MP- 100+**

**Phy Atk- 35 (35+0)**

**Phy Def- 100+**

**Agility- 77 (40+37)**

**Mag Atk- 90 (90+0)**

**Mag Def- 100+**

**Resist- 95 (95+0)**

**Special- 100 (100+0)**

Raphtalia-

**HP- 2146**

**MP- 1598**

**Phy Atk- 910**

**Mag- 622**

**Agility- 1028**

**Def- 675**

Within little time they would reach the max level. The demi-human army too had an average level of around 65.

Leaving that aside, Ainz suddenly received a message from one of the two assassins that were sent to investigate the forest beside the nearby towns. The forest was enormous and covered around the same area as the towns.

He shushed Albedo and Shalltear sitting across who immediately ceased all sound.

"What is it?"

"Ainz-sama. There is a very large filolial type monster who is easily able to overpower both of us assassins together. It was even able to see through our invisibility spell. It specializes in physical and magical attacks with speed faster than us. Its defense is currently unknown. Escape is currently not possible as there at least three-hundred fifty normal filolials following its command. What shall we do?"

Two level-49 assassins were currently facing someone and they were no match for the monster.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now this chapter is late. I know. The file once got corrupted somehow and I lost that chapter. I wrote it again with minor changes. I have a headache.
> 
> *Note- In the previous chapter I mentioned that Solution went to another country with Sebas and Yuri. I changed that a little and now instead of Yuri, Lupusregina had gone. So please see that.

A giant wall spread for vast distances. Big double-doors with two lanterns hanging on them. The wall that separated Melromarc from other countries. This checkpoint, in particular, split apart Melromarc from the country of demi-humans, Siltvelt. There were a few towns and cities on the way but those weren't that relevant.

A long line of carriages waited patiently for their chance to come. The traffic was very slow and the security checks were a pain. All this to not let the devil and the fake hero escape the country.

The carriage second in line was specifically a luxury. It was one that could normally only be afforded by nobles. Pulled by two filolials and a dashing old man in a very neat suit. It could easily be the indicator of one's influence and power.

The carriage first in line passed through the security. The said luxury carriage moved forward and took its place. The border security approached and one began questioning the man in the suit. The others just stayed behind in order of an emergency.

"Where is this carriage headed?"

"That would be Siltvelt. My mistress wishes to visit that place."

"I see. Let me check the inside."

He went around to the back and lightly moved the metal door to peek inside. As some light entered through the gap inside the dark carriage, he could only be captivated by the figures that came into view.

Ten seconds passed, twenty, then almost thirty. The old man interjected to get him back to his senses.

"Sir. Is everything ok?"

"Ah! Ehh... Yes, everything is fine. Let them pass." He closed the door and moved away. He had not even checked properly.

The giant doors leading to outside the country opened up. The old man flashed a little smile. As his white hair fluttered in the cold air, they passed through and the night continued like normal.

* * *

Deep in the forest, in some kind of ruins, everything was silent except the two figures of authority. They sat facing each other on some kind of stone.

One of them looked just like a little angel. Wearing a red and white gothic dress and white wings sprouting from her back, sat Fitoria at one side.

On the other side, sat an ominous being made of naught but bones. Red points of light from within the eye sockets and a red orb floating under his ribs. He had his jet blue robes equipped. Ainz Ooal Gown.

Behind Ainz, were his companions that came with him. Surrounding them were a lot of filolials. Like at least a hundred of them. Ainz understood that the being in front of him was responsible for defeating the two assassins.

Fitoria on the other hand, had no idea that the ones she fought were the underlings of Ainz Ooal Gown. She had just fought two monsters trying to spy on her.

Ainz had discovered her when heading towards the direction of the assassins. Upon meeting there was an awkward silence for some time until she came to terms with the fact that 'He was indeed the Shield Hero'.

Now that they were to talk face to face, nobody had any words. Finally, Fitoria broke the silence with an introduction.

"Shield Hero. I am Fitoria, the filolial queen."

"I am Momon. I am the "Shield Hero" as you say."

"Hmm. I have a question for you. Who... What are you?"

"I am an undead. I suppose you must have seen those before in this world. Those are but mere mindless monsters.

Now it's my turn to ask the question."

"My question is not answered."

"You asked what I was. Nothing else."

"Hmm. I suppose... Ask away."

She pouted a little just like a little child. Her voice at the last was a little hushed implying she didn't like where this was going. Suzuki Satoru, the shrewd salesman did not let this chance go by.

"What are your powers?"

. . .

She thought for a moment. She did not want to reveal her secrets. Of course, any rational person would not like to reveal anything about themselves if possible.

"I am the queen of filolials as well as the Wielder of the vassal weapon of carriage. I rule over the filolials and can turn into one myself."

_A perfectly valid and cunning answer. She wields a vassal weapon. The fact that she defeated those assassins means she was more powerful than that king. And not to say she can freely transform into a filolial._

Fitoria continued with one more sentence.

"You have the candidate for the filolial queen yourself, don't you?"

"What would that be?"

"I was told that the shield hero travels with a filolial. She is the one. I don't see her here."

_Wait, she could have something like classes of filolial queen. If she becomes even half as powerful as this girl then that would be very beneficial. Does this mean she could also turn into a human... or angel form like her._

"She is not traveling with us for the moment. So you're saying that she could have the power to lead filolials."

"Leading the filolials is NOT a power. It is my responsibility as their leader."

"I apologize. I have disrespected you."

Ainz understood this perfectly. The responsibility to lead his subordinates, to protect them, to keep them away from harm's way; it was hard, yet it was his duty. He got tired, frightened, and terrified at times. He had thought about it many times, but never did he see running away from it as an option.

"Hmm... Now it is my turn for a request.

I know that you are not on good terms with the other heroes. I want you to make up with them. If you do not do that, then saving the world is nothing but a pipe dream. No matter what you do you won't be able to defeat her."

_Her?_

"Making up with the heroes is not possible. They are nothing but delusional idiots that think the world revolves around them. They are too self-absorbed in fame and pride that they fail to notice the truth pushed in front of them. I won't be wasting my time trying to make futile attempts at friendship when I could train instead.

And who do you refer to when you say 'Her'?"

"If you do not even try, then new heroes will have to be summoned. You will have to perish for that and I will make sure that it happens."

The deep-red glow in his eyes flickered for a second. He moved his hands on his thigh, and his head previously resting on those hands was now completely straight and on alert.

"Is That A Threat?"

His voice was deep and of one at authority. He unconsciously activated his Despair aura I and the filolials surrounding them began shuffling within themselves. A mood of unrest was present. It was surprising in itself that Albedo and Shalltear had managed to restrain themselves after Fitoria's words. It was probably the influence of Ainz's strict orders before entering the forest.

Fitoria too noticed his aura and went on alert. She was leveled up enough that she wasn't affected but she understood that this was just the starting of it. But she was not one to back away. Her fate doesn't matter if she follows her master's orders.

"That is a threat. I'll tell you what. Prove that you and your party alone are enough to fight off the waves. Fight me and if you win, then I am willing to not interfere in your affairs again."

"That is a lot to ask, don't you think? You are the instigator and are offering nothing in return for our battle. Then killing you or sparing you won't make a difference.

If I win, become my subordinate."

"Not possible. I won't fall under anyone. Ask something else."

Ainz did not want to fight in the first place, but there was no guarantee that such an opportunity would show itself again. He had to take the risk, otherwise, he might have to kill her without getting out enough information. She seemed stubborn so taking out information from her might be difficult.

Ainz knew this would happen, after all, no queen would decide to fall under someone's rule based on a single battle. Truthfully Ainz had hoped for this to happen. Now he could easily make his demands without them being too much. The salesman inside him would be proud of him.

"Then, tell me all about 'Her' that you mentioned earlier. Also, you will inform us of how to obtain the class of filolial queen."

"Cheh! I agree."

She was frustrated beyond words. She had been played wonderfully. She could not decline now, and denying them could possibly lead to her death. But if he and the party were powerful enough, then it could truly be possible to defeat 'her'.

* * *

An open field, designed for battles within the forest. It wasn't too far from the ruins they were before. The battle was to begin at dawn.

"Remember. No mention about our abilities must be made to anyone else."

"I understand."

Normally Ainz would be at the backlines casting buff and debuff damage, simply being the wildcard he was. Right now, he did not want to show much of his YGGDRASIL abilities. He had instructed the two others to not show much of their abilities unless absolutely necessary.

He was currently at the frontline with Albedo to make sure she keeps the thought of him specializing in the shield. Shalltear would be casting spells and fighting in the frontlines both. She would focus on unholy and dark attacks as it was the filolials' weakness. This was not an optimal setting, but to deceive the enemy, this was necessary.

If the battle goes as they expect, then there won't be much need to use their magic in the first place.

A few minutes passed... Finally, as the first ray of sunlight hit upon them, the battle began without a verbal signal.

Fitoria turned into her filolial form that was easily a hundred times bigger than a normal filolial. She was to move but-

[Time Stop]

The tenth-tier spell. The world turned colorless as all except the Nazarick force froze in place. The battle proceeding was already discussed before the battle. There were plans in both scenarios, whether the spell worked or not.

[Discern Enemy] . [Life Essence] . [Mana Essence].

_Max levels in this world's terms. With average HP and mana over 75. Taking into account the information given by the assassins, her stats could easily be well over Level-90 in YGGDRASIL terms. She has some ability to teleport too._

(Note- Ainz's divination spells only denote values in YGGDRASIL terms. Whereas when he said her level in this world, it was because of the ability [Discern Enemy] he uses denotes the level of the enemy in this world and not in YGGDRASIL terms. So, everything except level is denoted in YGGDRASIL terms.)

[Dimensional Lock] . [Delay Teleportation] . [Triplet maximize magic - Exploding Mines]

As Ainz did this, Shalltear used her skill to summon four 7th-tier Vampire Wolves.

Albedo cast [Skill Boost] on Shalltear so that the summons were boosted. She herself cast [Summon Mount] bringing forth a War Bicorn Lord. They didn't have any special ability but had enhanced HP, agility, and strength. She could not ride it, nevertheless, it could be used in a variety of other ways.

Time Stop limit was over and the spell dissipated. Fitoria swiftly advanced as though nothing happened but one look at the battlefield and she knew something had happened. With a heavily armored horse with black skin, red eyes and two horns extending horizontally along the length of its head.

At the back along with the girl in the red armor, were four wolves, or something in that territory. They were made of nothing but something like dark energy. One may say all the summons reeked of negativity.

She swiftly rushed towards the bicorn. and made a low kick at its front legs. The bicorn neighed loudly and stumbled but didn't fall over. It attacked the side of Fitoria that she exposed while attacking.

She for one was stunned once again. All her full power kick did was make that bicorn stumble. After all, the War Bicorn Lord was level-100 and a force to be reckoned with in itself.

The horns of the bicorn attempted to hit the left side of the big bird. His height only allowed him to poke her from down. She retreated and avoided the attack but that was not the correct answer.

The four wolves together charged at her from her blind spot. She sensed them and dodged three of them. One of them, however, bit her and dug its teeth into her flesh. She took a little damage and kicked the wolf. It vanished with just her one kick.

"HA!"

She shouted out in battle spirit. A very big magic circle showed itself in front of her and within a second a violent wind tornado started wrecking the surroundings. The hundreds of filolials behind her were completely unaffected by it.

"[Sharks Cyclone]"

A cyclone of water that put the air tornado to shame came forth. It ate away at the tornado and proceeded towards Fitoria.

She pushed herself high into the sky before falling like a meteor in the middle of the cyclone. The spell was discarded and only the cracked-in ground remained.

All the filolials including Fitoria started making some kind of melodious sound. It was a beautiful chorus and made a very pleasant sound. However, the bicorn heading towards Fitoria had a sudden decrease in its speed. Ainz and co. and the wolves however were unaffected.

The bicorn did not even reach her and its speed was already cut in half. The voices it made were now very low, and the representation made it seem that the energy was being sucked from it. It was most likely a debuff effect and a powerful one at that.

She kicked the wolves and they died in a single strike again. She rushed by the bicorn's side, which was now unable to follow her movements and lightly brushed one of her claw on the bicorn's skin. She had nothing but made a sensitive touch.

**_Crash_ **

Giant ripples of wind came into view just as the bicorn was sent flying at unimaginable speeds and crashed into the trees some distance away. That caress must have been a special skill.

All the summons were defeated and they were to face her directly now. However, the summons had their job splendidly although the bicorn might not have been defeated just by this. Their observation was complete and they had a rough idea about her physical abilities now.

Little masses of light traveled through the air from the filolials into Fitoria. They had now stopped singing after realizing that the debuff wasn't working on them. It might have been a direct mind-affecting ability,

Albedo finally moved and made a full-blown punch at the filolial's head. However, A metallic cling ran out as she hit an invisible barrier. No shockwaves reached the filolials behind her so it was safe to assume that they all were under its protection.

[Mana Essence]

Her mana was not generating at all. All of it was probably used in maintaining the barrier and the preparation for a high-level skill or magic. None of the filolials were even moving an inch.

Ainz teleported directly in front of the barrier and Fitoria still only looked at him with eyes one would take in a battlefield.

"You are indeed strong."

"You aren't weak either. Let's continue now. [Despair Aura IV] "

As he spoke those words almost half of the filolials at the front went unconscious within seconds and the other half was flailing around wildly. Some of them still transferred their mana but the supply was reduced to a mere ten percent. This caused the barrier to weaken considerably.

Shalltear with her inhuman speeds appeared in front of Fitoria and extended her Spuit Lance. The barrier shattered into uncountable small pieces as the lance pierced her body and blood drew out. Fitoria opened her mouth and was probably about to shout something but-

[Time Accelerator]

Shalltear silently cast this magic and immediately moved behind her before she could even get one word out.

"Aaaah!"

This time Fitoria was sent flying straight towards Albedo. Shalltear had used [Impure Shockwave Shield] from behind her and she was hit directly with the reddish-black wave of force.

The filolials still helping her ran towards her Shalltear even if just to distract her and she cast

[Mass Hold Species]

All of them froze in place and their efforts to break through only managed to tire them.

The big bird was flying towards Albedo. She could not regain control in the air and was helpless. Albedo didn't use her weapon but kicked up. She was sent up into the air and made _unfamiliar bird noises._

Ainz was getting ready to cast the finishing spell, however, the moment didn't come to be. Her defense was weak. Her health was already less than 20% and a paralyzing or restraining ability would be enough to declare victory.

Fitoria was stuck in the air or rather floating of her own accord. Her eyes were slowly turning yellow with energy and her enormous figure shrunk down to the size of Ainz's filolial. Her wings spread completely and she completely silent letting the leaking power talk instead.

The energy, that was not mana was escaping from her body. White and Yellow energy so dense and powerful in vast amounts that even Ainz was filled with a little admiration.

At the same time, he had a bad premonition. If this was her trump card, there was a high chance that it could bypass resistances. He took a glance at her and she was gathering a great mass of energy.

This was the time for the death knight to shine. When opponents switch over to complete offense, preferably as a last-ditch spell or attack, then 'Hate Management' used at the crucial moment would most probably render their targeting useless completely wasting it on a death knight.

He was about to summon a death knight, but then saw the sky. Dark clouds coated with various translucent colors were gathering in the sky.

_Shit. It is an AoE attack. Even Albedo's ability to transfer damage completely won't work in that case. What to do, what to do? Shit, I will have to use it. I didn't want to reveal it to anyone. But it's necessary._

The leaking energy shot up as a beam into the sky. An extremely thin beam into the center of the gathering clouds. Her mana was decreasing rapidly.

"Albedo! Shalltear! Get behind me!"

"Understood Ainz-sama!" Shalltear went without complaining and the filolials finally became free.

Albedo, on the other hand, went mad and tried to retaliate in this critical moment. She wanted to protect Ainz and that was completely understandable given her nature. But she needed to understand that at this moment, his defense would prevail.

"Get Behind Me!"

"But Ainz-sama. It is my duty to keep you safe. If something happened to you while protecting us, then-"

"I know that Albedo. But think rationally right now and GET BEHIND."

"Y-Yes."

She too rushed by his side and took a moment to cool down. She immediately regretted what she said. She had just wasted time on a battlefield. But her intentions were only good and nothing else.

Anyways, a few seconds later the mana was completely drained off from Fitoria. All the clouds glowed with pure white and all the previous darkness was washed off.

"|SUPREME QUEEN'S DECISION|" The voice seemed to roar and echo itself throughout.

Light descended from the sky dying everything white. With Fitoria as the center, everything in the radius of 200-meters was eloped by the light.

An entirety of twenty seconds passed away. The light then slowly thinned out and turned non-existent. Nothing of the forest and its natural habitat was even touched. Everything was exactly the same. The filolials were unscathed as well.

Ainz and co. were the same. They were completely unchanged despite the grand attack being meant for them. Why?

Ainz's right wrist donned a silver-white shield with a slightly lifted arc from its base to the top. The shield owned by his best friend, a part of the World Champion's armor, Touch Me's [Earth Recover]. Currently the strongest shield in the inventory of the overlord providing him with again, the two strongest abilities in his shield arsenal.

He was reminded of his old friend and he thanked him internally. This shield, being a part of World Champion's equipment provided him with his two best abilities by the shield.

The first being a defensive ability to protect himself and all the comrades from any single attack, it didn't matter how strong the attack be. Its uses were limited in accordance to time but it was could be used against anyone's trump card.

The other was a passive defensive ability that could prove useful in a variety of ways whereas being useless in some. The armor covered him head to toe in a shiny silver armor that provided physical defense equal to the stats of the shield. However, when using the ability his magic attacks were reduced to twenty-five percent of normal. So, it gave him a basically impenetrable physical defense in exchange for three-fourth of magic offense.

The second ability could be activated and deactivated any number of times with a fifteen-minute cooldown with every switch.

Fitoria descended with her eyes closed and lightly landed on plain ground. Her Human form was back and she majestically opened her eyes. Maybe it was Ainz's imagination but she was acting even more like a queen now. Her actions were more refined and it had a charm to it.

Anyways, all that went away as soon as she laid her eyes upon the three figures standing at some distance just staring at her.

She regained her composure in a few seconds and spoke in defeat.

"It's my loss. I acknowledge your strength and will follow my promise. I will no longer interfere with any of your activities. Now as for the information. Let's start with her. Yup, let's start with Medea..."


End file.
